Two Thirds of U.S. Users Have Broadband, Says FCC

Twenty-two percent of Americans do not use the Internet, but among those that do, 65 percent have access to a broadband connection, according to a survey conducted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The Commission surveyed 5,005 U.S. adults in October and November 2009, and found correlation between socio-economic and demographic factors, and whether or not respondents had access to a high-speed connection.

For example, broadband adoption was greater among respondents with a higher level of education, and a higher salary. In addition, white respondents were more likely to have high-speed access than African-American users, while 10 percent more African-American users claim to use broadband than Hispanic users.

Younger users also reported much wider access to broadband connections than older users. For example, 75 percent of 18-29 year olds access the Internet via broadband compared with just 35 percent of users over 65.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the number of rural users with high-speed connections was less than average, at 50 percent, while non-rural users were slightly above the average, at 68 percent.

Broadband Adoption by American Adults
by Socio-Economic and Demographic Factors