Broadband

Our May 2008 survey asked dial-up users why they do not have a broadband connection at home and our December 2007 asked non-internet users about the reasons they do not use the internet. This table summarizes the results.

Investment in broadband has become part of the broader discussion about President Obama's economic stimulus package. How easy will it be to increase the pool of broadband subscribers or to encourage existing ones to upgrade their connection speeds?

Our August 2008 survey shows that 57% of Americans have broadband at home, just a 3 percentage point increase since December 2007. Economic conditions may mean people are putting off the upgrade to broadband.

Three "thermometers" of access show the disparities among various groups when it comes to internet access, cell phone use, and broadband access at home.

Some 55% of all adult Americans now have a high-speed internet connection at home. The percentage of Americans with broadband at home has grown from 47% in early 2007.

New state-by-state internet usage figures, courtesy of the NTIA and US Census Bureau

The speech discusses evolving online usage patterns. The drivers of changing usage patterns are the emergence of "always present" digital information access enabled by mobile wireless, to go with growth of "always on" home broadband connections.

New "thermometer" charts show degrees of access to the internet and cell phones among various demographic groups.

The Pew Internet & American Life Project has created three "thermometers" of digital access: internet, cell phone, and home broadband connections.

Many Americans are jumping into the participatory Web without considering all the implications. If nothing really bad has happened to someone, they tend neither to worry about their personal information nor to take steps to limit the amount of infor...