The Connected Nation Blog: From TMCnet - Connected Nation Addresses Broadband Challenges for Consumers to Improve Economy

Monday, October 20, 2008

From TMCnet - Connected Nation Addresses Broadband Challenges for Consumers to Improve Economy

http://hosted-communications.tmcnet.com/topics/broadband-comm/articles/43189-connected-nation-addresses-broadband-challenges-consumers-improve-economy.htm

By Raju Shanbhag TMCnet Contributing Editor
A new report by Connected Nation (News - Alert) advises that state, local and national leaders should concentrate more on the consumer side of America's broadband challenge. Based on interviews with more than 50,000 consumers across the nation's heartland, the new Connected Nation report called, "Consumer Insights to America's Broadband Challenge," is the first in a series of consumer-side analyses.

Experts are looking ahead at the investments that will be made in making broadband available to Americans. But they also advise companies to consider the ways those who are most at risk, as they are least likely to use the technology available to them.

This new report by Connected Nation provides some key insights such as the claim that the largest barrier to broadband adoption is a lack of awareness about broadband's benefits. The report states that 44 percent of those with no home broadband connection say, “I don't need broadband.” Also, according to the report, most of the customers do not feel a need to buy a PC. 62 percent of those polled who do not own a computer claim to not need one.