Analysis Shows Offline Households Are Willing to Pay $10-a-Month on Average for Home Internet Service

Our analysis shows affordability as a driving factor around why some households continue to remain offline, confirming that the cost of service is an essential part of increasing Internet adoption. We asked households not using the Internet from home: “At what monthly price if any, would your household buy home Internet service?” Answers to the new question showed that the mean price offline households wanted to pay was approximately $10 per month, though it’s worth noting that three in four households gave $0 or “none” as their answer. Interestingly, households citing expense as their main reason for non-use were more willing to pay some amount for home Internet service, with a mean reported price of $16 and 54 percent responding that they would only purchase home Internet service if it were $0. In contrast, households citing a lack of need or interest in home Internet service were only willing to pay $6 per month on average, with 83 percent of the group giving an answer of $0. Overall, while reduced monthly service costs could attract some number of offline households (including nearly half of those in the “too expensive” group), many more indicated that they could not or would not pay any amount. Overall, these data make clear that multiple strategies are needed to fully address longstanding disparities in Internet use. That’s why programs like the Digital Equity Act and the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) are vital for households and communities.