Three-quarters of U.S. households have broadband

New research released by the Consumer Electronics Association has revealed that the majority of online U.S. households have broadband Internet access.

by Helen Leggatt

cea%20logo.jpg Nearly 58 million, or 75 percent, of U.S. households now subscribe to broadband according to the CEA’s recently released research entitled “Broadband in America: Access, Use and Outlook”. That’s an increase of 21 percent in the last 12 months. Of those that don’t subscribe to broadband, 15 percent quote cost as being the major barrier.

“With 20 percent of non-broadband subscribers expecting to adopt this service in the next two years, future growth looks strong,” said Gary Shapiro, the CEA’s President and CEO. “Yet, competition among broadband service providers must stay robust for this expected growth to prevail. Consumers must have access to media-rich entertainment content they can use anytime, anywhere at a reasonable price.”

Americans aren’t limited to broadband access purely in their own homes. Around 72 percent of U.S. adults have access to a broadband connection outside of their home such as their place of work, library, public wireless hotspot, college or internet café.

“Most importantly,” added Shapiro, “increased broadband access brings with it the hope of widely disseminating knowledge and improving healthcare and distance learning services. Broadband access spurs innovation and technology for all Americans.”