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Broadband Penetration More Than Doubles Among Rural Households

Broadband penetration has increased considerably from 2003, according to a Pew Internet and American Life Project survey, having more than doubled in rural households. Rural households reported a 24 percent rate of broadband penetration last fall, compared with 9 percent in 2003. Urban households, by comparison, reported a 39 percent rate of high-speed penetration, versus 22 percent in 2003. In part, lower rural penetration is due to limited availability, but the survey also cites a higher proportion of older, less educated, and poorer consumers as reasons for lower levels of Internet use. However, rural Americans with broadband are almost as likely as urban consumers to use it on a given day; overall, 62 percent of country dwellers use the Internet, compared with 70 percent elsewhere.

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