Census Finds Gaps in Broadband Use

Broadband adoption has jumped in recent years, with 63.5 percent of households reporting use in 2009, according to data released by the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The department’s Census survey asked 54,000 households.

Increasing broadband use is a priority for the FCC and programs are in place to encourage adoption in all parts of the country.

“The digital divide is an opportunity divide – if you can’t get online, you can’t compete in the digital economy,” FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, said in a statement, reported by the Washington Post.

But the still finds a gap in use based on race, geography, and other factors. For example, “65.9 percent of urban households subscribed to broadband in 2009, compared with 51 percent of rural households,” the article reports.

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