• Reuters, Tuesday, March 27, 2007 10:45 AM

Nearly one-third of U.S. households do not have Internet access, nor do they plan to get it, according to a new report from Parks Associates. At this point, these people, representing 29 percent of U.S. households or 31 million homes, see little or no use for it in their lives. They will only be converted once the Web becomes more essential for entertainment services, like TV.

Some 44 percent of respondents said they do not subscribe to the Internet because of the perceived low value to their daily lives rather than concerns over cost; 22 percent said they could not afford a computer or the cost of Internet service. About 17 percent of participants who don't subscribe to Web service gave the answer, "I'm not sure how to use the Internet," while 14 percent said, "I do all my e-commerce shopping and YouTube-watching at work."

U.S. broadband penetration, meanwhile, continues to creep upwards to roughly 52 percent last year, up from 42 percent in 2005. Roughly half the new subscribers converted from dial-up access, while the other half had no prior access.

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