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53 Percent Say Broadband Should Not be a Government Priority; Non-Users Are Even More Insistent


By Gary Kim, Contributing Editor

At a time when stakeholders are fighting over federal policies with a direct impact on broadband access innovation and investment, a survey of consumers suggests a majority of Americans do not believe it should, at this point, be a high federal government priority to focus on the spread of affordable broadband, the Pew (News - Alert) Internet & American Life Project reports. 

The full report can be read HERE.

By a 53 percent to 41 percent margin, respondents say they "do not believe that the spread of affordable broadband should be a major government priority."

Also, contrary to what some might suspect, non-Internet users are less likely than current users to say the government should place a high priority on the spread of high-speed connections, the Pew Project reports. 

Some 26 percent of respondents indicated that expansion of affordable broadband access should not be attempted by government. Another 27 percent said it was “not too important” a priority.

About 30 percent said it was an important priority, while 11 percent indicated it should be a top priority.

In a surprising finding, those who are not currently online are especially resistant to government efforts to expand broadband access. Fully 45 percent of non-users say government should not attempt to make affordable broadband available to everyone, while just five percent of those who don’t use the internet say broadband access should be a top federal government priority. 

Younger users (those under age 30) and African-Americans were the most likely to favor expanded government efforts towards broadband access, while older Americans were among the least likely to back the expansion of affordable broadband access as a government priority. 

"Americans have decidedly mixed views about the problems non-broadband users suffer due to their lack of a high-speed connection," the Pew Project reports. "There is no major issue on which a majority of Americans think that lack of broadband access is a major disadvantage."

Still, 43 percent of respondents believe that lack of broadband is a “major disadvantage” when it comes to finding out about job opportunities or gaining new career skills. Some 23 percent think lack of access is a “minor disadvantage” and 28 percent think it is “not a disadvantage.” 

Some 34 percent of respondents believe that lack of broadband is a “major disadvantage” when it comes to getting health information. Some 28 percent think lack of access is a “minor disadvantage” and 35 percent think it is “not a disadvantage.”

About 31 percent believe that lack of broadband is a “major disadvantage” when it comes to learning new things that might enrich or improve their lives, while 31 percent think lack of access is a “minor disadvantage” and 32 percent think it is “not a disadvantage.”

About 29 percent indicate that lack of broadband is a “major disadvantage” when it comes to using government services. Some 27 percent think lack of access is a “minor disadvantage” and 37 percent think it is “not a disadvantage.”

About 23 percent said that lack of broadband is a “major disadvantage” when it comes to keeping up with news and information. Some 27 percent think lack of access is a “minor disadvantage” and 47 percent think it is “not a disadvantage.”

Just 19 percent indicated lack of broadband is a “major disadvantage” when it comes to finding out about their local community. Some 32 percent think lack of access is a “minor disadvantage” and 45 percent think it is “not a disadvantage.”

In part, the results are attributable to the fact that 21 percent of respondents do not use the internet. About 34 percent have some connection to the online world, either because they live in a household with a connection that other family members use or because they have gone online in the past. The remaining 66 percent of non-users are not tied in any obvious way to online life and many express little interest in using the internet.

Non-users do not find online content relevant to their lives. Some 48 percent of non-users cite issues relating to the relevance of online content as the main reason they do not go online.

Just one in ten non-users say would like to start using the internet in the future. One might note that similar results might have been gotten a couple decades ago in polling about the value of multichannel video subscription services. Over time, the perceived necessity of the services changed. 

Still, if there is a possible lesson here, it is that the markets and consumers themselves will ultimately rectify any current lack of demand. That is precisely what happened with multichannel video services. The other potential lessons are that government officials and policy advocates might be off the mark in thinking there is a problem here that must be fixed by governmental action. 

Actual end users who resist broadband indicate they mostly do so because they do not want the product and service. Over time, that will naturally change, as matters did with multichannel video services. 

One might charitably suggest it is a mistake for elites to decide for people what those people want or need, or to ignore the obvious precedents of multichannel TV or mobile services. When people decide those innovations have value they adopt; and not before the value is perceived. 


Gary Kim (News - Alert) is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Gary’s articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Stefania Viscusi