Page 23 - PCCAJournal4thQuarter2011

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PCCA Journal|4
th
Quarter 2011
23
T
he Department of Com-
merce’s Economics and
Statistics Administra-
tion (ESA) and National
Telecommunications
and Information Administration (NTIA)
released a report in November, “Explor-
ing the Digital Nation,” that analyzes
broadband internet adoption in the U.S.
Overall, approximately seven out of
ten households in the U.S. subscribe to
broadband service. The report finds a
strong correlation between broadband
adoption and socio-economic factors,
such as income and education, but says
these differences do not explain the
entire broadband adoption gap that ex-
ists along racial, ethnic, and geographic
lines. Even after accounting for socio-
economic differences, certain minority
and rural households still lag in broad-
band adoption.
The report analyzed data collected
through an internet-use supplement to
the Current Population Survey (CPS) of
about 54,300 households conducted by
the U.S. Census Bureau in October 2010.
Earlier this year, NTIA released initial
findings from the survey, showing that
while virtually all demographic groups
have increased adoption of broadband
internet at home since the prior year,
historic disparities among demographic
groups remain. The newly issued report
presents broadband adoption statistics
after adjusting for various socio-econom-
ic differences.
“Closing the broadband adoption gap
is a priority because Americans increas-
ingly need 21
st
century skills to suc-
ceed in today’s economy. [This] report
provides a comprehensive, data-driven
analysis of broadband adoption that
will inform efforts to close the gap and
promote America’s competitiveness in
the global economy,” said Acting Deputy
Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank.
“To get a good job, you often need ac-
cess to the internet and online skills. But
nearly one in three American households
do not subscribe to broadband service,”
said NTIA Administrator Lawrence E.
Strickling. “NTIA’s broadband grants
program is helping to address this chal-
lenge by expanding public computer
centers and providing Americans with
the training needed to participate in the
Internet economy. The lessons learned
from these broadband projects and to-
day’s report will help the larger commu-
nity working to close the digital divide,
and we encourage researchers to use the
survey data for further analysis.”
The principal findings of the report
are:
Sixty-eight percent of American
households used broadband internet
in 2010, up from 64 percent in 2009.
Only 3 percent of households relied
on dial-up access to the Internet in
2010, down from five percent in 2009.
Another 9 percent of households had
people who accessed the internet only
outside of the home.
All told, approximately 80 percent
of American households had at least
one internet user, whether inside or
outside the home and regardless of
technology type used to access the
internet.
Cable modems and DSL were the lead-
ing broadband technologies for home
internet adoption, with 32 percent and
23 percent of households, respectively,
using these services.
Differences in household broad-
band adoption:
Households with lower incomes and
less education, as well as Blacks, His-
panics, people with disabilities, and
rural residents, were less likely to have
internet service at home.
Eighty-one percent of Asian house-
holds and 72 percent of White
households had broadband at home,
compared to 57 percent of Hispanic
households and 55 percent of Black
households.
Seventy percent of urban households
had broadband at home, compared to
57 percent of rural households.
Reasons for not subscribing to broad-
band at home:
The main reasons cited for not having
internet access at home were a lack
of interest or need (47 percent), the
News Briefs
News Briefs continued on page 24
Commerce Department Report
Shows Broadband Adoption Rises
but Digital Divide Persists