Telematics and Informatics 60 (2021) 101580 Available online 30 January 2021 0736-5853/© 2021 Published by Elsevier Ltd. If you built a sandbox: How children, network diversity, and community interventions are related to Google Fiber signup in disadvantaged urban communities Wenhong Chen a, * , Xiaoqian Li b , Gejun Huang c , Joseph Straubhaar d a Associate Professor of Media Studies and Sociology, School of Journalism (and Media), University of Texas at Austin, 300 W Dean Keeton St, Austin, TX 78712, United States b Illinois Institute of Technology, United States c Soochow University, China d University of Texas at Austin, United States A R T I C L E INFO Keywords: Digital divide Digital inequality Digital inclusion Google Fiber Network diversity Social capital Adoption of technology Marginalized community Disadvantaged community Public housing ABSTRACT A decade after Google Fiber promised faster, cheaper internet connections in selected American cities, few studies have investigated its adoption, let alone in disadvantaged urban communities. Drawing on a household survey of public housing communities in Austin, Texas, a major Google Fiber city, we examine how relational, technological and community factors affect Google Fiber signup. Results show that community intervention combining digital inclusion programs and promotional neighborhood events was the most important contributor that elevated the likeli- hood of signing up for Google Fiber. Internet use, network diversity, expectations about the outcomes of digital inclusion programs, and having young children living in the household also signifcantly increased the likelihood of Google Fiber signing up. The fndings have policy im- plications, highlighting the importance of coordinated efforts of the public, private, and non- proft sectors to engage underprivileged urban residents in a digital future through targeted community interventions. 1. Introduction The Covid-19 pandemic has amplifed the critical importance of having access to broadband internet and the skills of using it for productive purposes. As many people have to stay at home, the internet becomes indispensable for work, education, information, entertainment, and worship. Since the mid-1990s, many policies and programs have been developed at the local, state, national, and international levels to promote internet access and use. On the one hand, the internet is perhaps the fastest diffused technology in human history with profound economic and social impacts. On the other hand, digital divides—the uneven access and use of digital technologies—continue to be a critical issue and a persistent policy challenge even in the most developed nations after decades of internet diffusion (OECD, 2020a; Robinson et al., 2015). The internet infrastructure in the U.S. has been mediocre in international comparison: Americans have been paying more for slower internet connection compared with users in a range of European or East Asian countries (OECD, 2020b). A Pew Research Center survey * Corresponding author. E-mail address: wenhong.chen@austin.utexas.edu (W. Chen). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Telematics and Informatics journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tele https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2021.101580 Received 20 November 2020; Received in revised form 13 January 2021; Accepted 24 January 2021