A study by Connected Nation found that almost one-third of surveyed rural households suffered a gap in internet connectivity during the past year.
The study, “Stuck in the Middle: Internet Insecurity in Rural America,” analyzed data from 2,600 households in Michigan and Colorado. The study defined a gap in coverage as either a household — which was previously connected — not subscribing to an internet service or a household that had a subscription but experienced a lapse.
“Internet insecurity is an important issue that nearly 1 in 3 rural households face,” Connected Nation Director of Research Development Chris McGovern said in a press release about the study. “As the infrastructure improves and more Americans can access high-speed internet, we need to make sure that everyone can benefit by having reliable, affordable service all the time.”
Key takeaways from the study:
- 30.6% of the surveyed population was internet insecure
- 34.2% of households with children under 18 years of age living at home were internet insecure
- People with disabilities are more likely to experience internet insecurity than people without disabilities
- 87.1% of internet insecure respondents rely on locations outside of their home to access the internet
- 93.3% of the internet insecure population still use telehealth services
The study found that the percentages of steady internet subscribers were similar in households with children or without (65.3% versus 64.1%, respectively). However, internet nonadopters were far more common in households without children (9%) than those with children (0.5%).
The study also broke down the rural internet landscape by age. The highest level of steady subscribers were aged 35 to 54 (87.8%). The lowest were aged 18 to 34 (57.1%).
Rural residents are aware of the importance of broadband. A study commissioned by the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) and conducted by RVA LLC that was released in June found that 75% of rural and suburban/rural adults believe that high-quality internet is very important to their households.
Last week, the NRECA and NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association were among the groups calling upon the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to raise the fixed broadband data benchmark from 100/20 Mbps. The groups made the request in the Commission’s annual Section 706 broadband inquiry. A decision on changes to the FCC benchmark could come in a later Section 706 report.
