While President Barack Obama and Congress have made clear how important broadband is to our nation by putting $7.2 billion in stimulus funding behind broadband initiatives, there still seems to be a perception gap among many non-adopter citizens.
In short, there is a lack of understanding of the value that broadband connectivity can bring to their lives. The U.S. Telecom Association recently said too many citizens aren’t adopting because of “perceived lack of Internet relevance … .”
Meanwhile, broadband’s adopters recognize the value that broadband Internet has brought to their lives. A recent eMarketer article, Home broadband a must in downturn,” cites a study by Strategy Analytics focusing on consumer entertainment and communications budgeting for the upcoming year - a year that is a tough one financially for many.
According to the article, 69 percent of consumers said their spending would either stay consistent or increase regarding home broadband. Other forms of entertainment and communications may not fair so well, however. Forty-four to 66 percent of consumers said they would be willing to reduce or completely eliminate spending for other communications services.
Similarly, a Pew Internet & American Life Project “Home Broadband Adoption 2009 Study, ” found that a year prior to March/April 2009, 22 percent of U.S. adults cut back on mobile service to save money, while only 9 percent canceled or cut back on Internet subscriptions. Even more revealing is the fact that broadband adopters with income levels considered below poverty were twice as likely to cut back on cable TV and mobile service to preserve access to broadband.
It is apparent that broadband access is a priority for Americans. At the Knight Center of Digital Excellence, we are committed to bridging the digital divide and helping to drive adoption by providing communities, both rural and urban, the access and skills needed to leverage broadband connectivity.
Tags: American Recovery & Reinvestment Act 2009, broadband, digital divide, eMarketer, infrastructure, Internet, KCoDE, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, Pew Research Center Internet & American Life Project, rural communities, Strategy Analytics
This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 at 3:51 pm and is filed under Digital news, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, Stimulus Package, broadband. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
