IIA study finds consumers/businesses see utility in broadband

As the National Telecommunications & Information Administration and Rural Utilities Service get set to award broadband stimulus grants to service providers, the Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA), a coalition focused on providing universal broadband deployment, has released a study that illustrates that consumers and businesses alike are tuning into the broadband channel. The IIA developed the study in collaboration with Jonathan Orszag, a former Clinton administration economic advisor; Princeton economic professor Robert Willig; and Mark Dutz from consulting firm Compass Lexcon.

In the period of 2001 to 2008, the IIA reported that broadband adoption saw a six-fold increase. In 2008 66 Million U.S. households had broadband access versus only 10.4 million in 2001. Simultaneously, dial-up connections declined from 44.2 million homes in 2001 to 10.5 million homes in 2008. Meanwhile, the number of homes with no Internet access saw a dip from 53.6 million to 39.7 million during the same period. And while the study shows varying broadband adoption rates among different demographic groups, people overall regard Internet access as a must-have service.  

For more:
- Broadcasting and Cable has this report

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