This report sets out FTI Consulting’s findings on a methodology for estimating the value of consumer time lost to internet outages. The report found that ACCAN’s methodology was consistent with non-market valuation methods used in the economic literature and in other industries.

Building on ACCAN’s initial work, FTI Consulting drew on established non-market valuation frameworks to develop a methodology for estimating the value of internet access. The methodology combines survey data on time use with benefit transfer techniques, assigning each online activity an hourly monetary value based on economic proxies such as private travel time or wages forgone to provide a preliminary valuation of internet access.

Key findings:

• The estimated value of time online is approximately $0.38 per minute per consumer.

• The estimated value is relatively robust and can be updated by applying the relevant Consumer Price Indexation (CPI) indexing.

Read the summary report here: