Recession or no, more Americans are getting online via fast, higher-priced connections, a closely watched study of U.S. Internet use has found. As of April, 63 percent of U.S. adults had broadband Internet connections in their homes, according to the Pew Research Center. That’s a big jump from a year earlier, when a comparable survey found that only 55 percent of U.S. adults had broadband access at home.
Survey participants reported they’re paying an average of $39 a month for broadband service, up from $34.50 a year earlier. At $39 per month, the average price is as high as it was in 2004 before it fell for the next four years. More consumers regard a broadband Internet connection as a necessity akin to electricity or water service, says John Horrigan, associate director for the Pew center.
“Not very many people said they were cutting back on Internet service,” Horrigan says. “They were more likely to be cutting back on their cell-phone plan or their cable TV service plan. It seems like broadband has a special place in the minds of people as something they would prefer not to give up.”
Rural Nonusers: A Lesser Issue
The fresh research helps outline the challenges facing the Obama Administration as it determines how to distribute $7.2 billion in economic stimulus money for expanding broadband access. Despite deeper penetration and a growing willingness to spend more money on Internet access, 37 percent of U.S. adults remain without broadband.
Income remains one of the largest barriers. Of those respondents classified as non-Internet users, 82 percent reported incomes of $40,000 a year or less; almost half earn less than $20,000 annually. Only one-quarter live in rural areas, where telecom companies often view low population density as a disincentive to building broadband systems.
Pew’s findings were presented at the National Broadband Strategy Symposium…