US Broadband Infrastructure: Geographic Trends

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the importance of digital resources, but about one in ten Americans say that they often have problems connecting to the internet at home1. This Digital Divide, or lack of access to fixed broadband in some parts of the country, is important to address so that all Americans can access essential digital resources. We recently published a report in collaboration with ACA Connects that evaluates the extent to which geography plays a role in the Digital Divide, and

US Broadband Infrastructure: Costs to Close the Digital Divide

COVID-19 has increased the importance of digital resources as essential services move online. In the face of this landscape, policymakers are focused on closing the digital divide by ensuring Americans can affordably access reliable internet connections. We recently published a report in collaboration with ACA Connects that evaluates how much it would cost to ensure that all Americans can access reliable fixed broadband.

Video Conferencing Applications: Bandwidth Benchmarking

Before the pandemic, 20% of Americans worked from home. Now, 71% do, and 81% of employed Americans working from home report relying on video conferencing services to continue doing their jobs[i]. Clearly, COVID-19 has greatly increased the importance of video conferencing applications in our lives. The video conferencing market is expected to nearly double in market value from $4.8 billion in 2019 to $9.2 billion by 2026[ii], largely driven by the accelerated adoption of video conferencing that

US Broadband Infrastructure: The Adoption Gap

According to the data published by the FCC in June 2020 – the latest publicly available release – there are 3.8M households in the US (3%) that still do not have access to baseline level broadband of at least 25/3 Mbps, the FCC’s current broadband standard. In addition to the households known to the FCC to be unserved, there’s a known limitation in FCC reporting methodology that results in some households being classified as ‘served’ when they don’t have this baseline service available. Studies suggest this there may be as many as 8.2M of these households, for a total of 12M unserved households across the US (~10%).

Credential Sharing Mitigation Strategies

Based on a recent Cartesian survey, 22% of Americans aged 18-60 admit to using login credentials borrowed, purchased, or stolen from someone outside their household. This behavior is so prevalent on popular streaming platforms that Netflix recently began cracking down on the practice through two-factor authentication. This isn’t just a problem for Netflix: Our survey found that 19% of Americans use shared credentials to access ESPN Plus, 17% to access Hulu, 15% to access CBS All Access, and 15%

Crisis Spawns Creativity: How COVID19 Has Influenced Art and Advertisements

Although the Great War is remembered today as a time of tragedy and hardship, it’s also remembered as a time rich with influential works in creative spaces like art, music, and literature. Advertising was no exception: emotive ads from brands like Cadbury cemented their place in consumer’s hearts for decades to come. We can observe similar creative booms over and over again in times of crisis—during the Great Depression, World War II, and even the Cold War. The modern coronavirus pandemic is no

Web Design Trends for BtoB to Look for in 2021

With the new year coming up, it might feel a little early to start making resolutions. That being said, it’s certainly not too early to start thinking about what new trends 2021 will bring to BtoB web design. What changes can we expect to see? Which trends will last the test of time? Which will be passing fads? Here at Pixel Tie, we’ve been staying on top of the trends, and here’s our list of top web design trends for 2021. Already one of the important web design standards, load time will only

What Web Design learns from Architecture’s Design Thinking

Singapore’s skyline is populated with iconic architecture. From the gleaming, futuristic Marina Bay Sands to Peranakan houses and the Art Deco style of Tiong Bahru, the diversity and beauty of Singapore’s buildings are just a couple more reasons locals should be proud of their amazing city. What is even more amazing than the buildings themselves is the role they play as homes: some for families, but most are homes for businesses, from hawker stalls to designer boutiques. What if I told you you