Report Using Census Block Data Finds Broadband Adoption Rate of 72.9 Percent

A new report using an innovative approach to broadband data finds that the percentage of households in the United States that have adopted high-speed Internet services is 72.9 percent. The report was generated by comparing the Census blocks in which broadband is available with the number of subscribers that carriers report to the Federal Communications Commission. By linking the number of subscribers in a particular state (from FCC data) to a data-set of Census block-by-Census block tabulations of broadband availability, consultant Brian Webster believes that he is able to peg the nation-wide broadband adoption rate for homes passed at 72.9 percent. That number is about 10 percentage points higher than what other studies have found. That's not surprising - precisely because he is attempting to count adoption of homes passed, and not of the population as a whole. "That's a difference that could have a significant impact on the decisions made to deploy broadband in the remaining un-served markets," says Webster.