Broadband pricetag is top hurdle for non-adopters, FCC survey shows

Affordability and lack of digital skills are the primary reasons why 93 million Americans--one-third of the country--do not subscribe to high-speed Internet access at home.

That is what the FCC found from its consumer survey released today, which was conducted to help inform the National Broadband Plan due to Congress March 17.

The FCC conducted a national random digit-dial survey of 5,000 adults in October and November 2009 to assess attitudes toward broadband. The survey found that 35 percent of adult Americans do not have broadband connections at home.

Besides affordability and digital literacy, relevance is also a barrier to adoption.

--36 percent of non-adopters, or 28 million adults, said they do not have home broadband because the monthly fee is too expensive (15 percent), they cannot afford a computer, the installation fee is too high (10 percent) or they do not want to enter into a long-term contract (9 percent). The average monthly broadband bill, according to respondents, is $41.

--22 percent of non-adopters, or 17 million adults, said they do not have home broadband because they lack the digital skills (12 percent) or they are concerned about potential hazards of online life, such as exposure to inappropriate content or security of personal information (10 percent).

--19 percent of non-adopters, or 15 million adults, said they do not have broadband because they say that the Internet is a waste of time, there is no online content of interest to them or, for dial-up users, they are content with their current service.

A few other interesting findings:

--6 percent of Americans use dial-up Internet connections as their main form of home access.

--6 percent are Internet users but do not use it from home--they access it from work, the library or community centers.

--70 percent of home broadband users receive it bundled with other services, such as phone or video service.

Read the full report here.