Commentary

Spam Protection Gains Satisfaction With ISP's

Spam Protection Gains Satisfaction With ISP's

The latest J.D. Power and Associates 2004 Internet Service Provider Residential Customer Satisfaction Study examines seven factors contributing to overall satisfaction with dial-up and high-speed service. In both segments, residential users give the major ISPs the biggest satisfaction gains for their ability to protect subscribers from spam. On the other hand, hacker/virus protection satisfaction declined in both segments.

Steve Kirkeby, senior director of telecommunications research at J.D. Power and Associates, said " Consumers are managing more aspects of their lives on the Internet-banking, paying bills, managing their calendars and relationships-and they have a greater urgency for privacy and security. Protection against security threats such as hackers and viruses represent the sole black mark in satisfaction trends across both segments."

Household Internet penetration grew to 66 percent in 2004, only a 2 percent growth from 2003. High-speed penetration, however, is still growing at a fast pace. The study finds 39 percent of those with any type of Internet connection have a broadband connection, up from 26 percent in 2003.

Other findings from the study include:

  • Broadband subscribers report spending an average of 18 personal hours per week on the Internet, up from 17.6 in 2003. Dial-up users spend 15.6 hours per week, down from 16.1.
  • High-speed subscribers report spending $44.12 per month on service, up from $42.15 in 2003.
  • Dial-up service monthly spending averages $19.14 per month, down from $19.33 in 2003.

EarthLink ranks highest in overall customer satisfaction among the 9 dial-up and 12 high-speed Internet service providers included in the rankings. EarthLink is followed in the dial-up ranking by Juno/NetZero, AT&T WorldNet and BellSouth, respectively. In the high-speed ranking on image and e-mail services, EarthLink is followed by Verizon, Road Runner, and BellSouth and Cox in a tie, respectively.

You can find out more here.

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