Iowa broadband adoption rose from 66 percent in...
Iowa broadband adoption rose from 66 percent in 2010 to 76 percent of households in 2103, and now surpasses the national average, according to figures released by Connect Iowa Wednesday (http://bit.ly/1hO3GyZ). The non-profit was commissioned by the state to work…
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with broadband providers to create detailed maps of coverage and develop a statewide plan for broadband deployment and adoption. Mobile broadband usage among Iowa adults has also grown from 22 percent in 2010 to 53 percent in 2013, a Connect Iowa press release said. But the survey found more than 113,000 school-age children in Iowa still don’t have broadband access at home. Nearly 650,000 working-age adults in Iowa would need assistance with tasks that are often required by employers, such as creating a spreadsheet, going online from a mobile device, using a word processor, or sending an e-mail. Two out of three non-adopters in Iowa said it would be easier for them to shop, seek out healthcare information or interact with government offices if they had Internet access at home. “A ten percentage point increase in adoption since 2010 shows that the efforts of Connect Iowa and our partners to bridge the digital divide are paying dividends,” said Connect Iowa Program Manager Amy Kuhlers. “Still, much work remains to be done to connect people to the empowering technology of broadband."