According to the latest data from the Pew Research Center, 67% of US residents now have a home broadband connection. The report notes that growth has plateaued for home broadband growth for several reasons, the biggest one being that with the price of residential broadband so high, many people (low income families especially) have opted to having their smartphone as the only connectivity option.
Pew notes smartphone adoption has reached parity with home broadband adoption (68% now have one), and 13% of Americans are “smartphone-only” – which is up from 8% in 2013.
Among non-broadband adopters, 33% of those surveyed told Pew that the monthly cost of service is the main reason they lack broadband at home, with an additional 10% citing the cost of a computer as their main reason for not having broadband service.
Among those who don't have broadband, Pew notes that 36% had a subscription in the past, while 59% say they've never had a home broadband connection. In addition, just 25% of non-adopters are interested in subscribing to broadband service in the future, while 70% say they are not interested in doing so.
Pew's latest survey also took a
quick look at cord cutting. Pew found that 15% of Americans have now cut the cord, and another 9% have never had traditional cable service. That's roughly a country of the country that's either a cord cutter or a "cord never." Interestingly, 42% of cord cutters don't have a traditional home broadband connection.