As I wrote recently, Hispanics are greatly influencing every aspect of American politics, culture, and economics.
A great example is the increasing role of Hispanics in one of the most influential mediums in American culture—the Internet. Broadband access—a crucial service that helps fuel American innovation, job creation, and educational opportunities—is allowing Hispanics to influence American culture and markets through their choices in media and entertainment, not just in terms of content, but also in how that content is consumed.
Data shows that content is increasingly being consumed through mobile means. The modern Hispanic community is not only going mobile, but it is outpacing the general population in doing so.
The infographic below demonstrates this trend.
However, the public policy issues surrounding spectrum threaten to stall continued reliance on mobile Internet connectivity. Spectrum is the airwaves that transmit calls, texts, and the internet through the air.
Some predict a “spectrum crunch” as early as next year when the wireless industry runs out of the spectrum necessary to provide these services to its customers. This crunch was a major topic at three recent hearings in the U.S. Congress, a June 4 hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet, a Senate confirmation hearing regarding Tom Wheeler’s nomination to lead the Federal Communications Commission, and last week’s Energy and Commerce Committee hearing in the House of Representatives.
