7% of Americans, Only Use their Phone for Internet Access

You Probably Lean Heavily on your Smartphone for Internet Access these Days but, for Some Americans it's Not a Nice-to-Have Convenience... it's their Only Way of Getting Online. Pew Research Center's Latest Survey Estimates that, 7% of Americans depend Solely on their Phone for Internet Service and Have No Practical Alternatives. About 10% Have a Smartphone but, No Home Broadband and 15% Have just a Limited Number of Options Beyond their Handsets. Like in Other Corners of the World, a Lot of these Users are Going Phone-Only Out of Economic Necessity.


Roughly 13% of Americans Making Less than $30,000 per Year, are Relying almost Exclusively on their Phones, while a Mere 1% of those Making $75,000 and Up are Doing the Same. For the Lower Income Bracket, it's a Double-Whammy -- it Not Only Limits What they Can do Online but, Increases the Odds that they'll Hit their Phone Plan's Data Cap than those with More Choices, at 51% vs 35%. They're also More than Twice as likely (48% vs 21%) to Cancel or Freeze Service due to Budget Problems. While Cellular Data Can Provide Internet Access that would Otherwise be Out of Reach, it's Clear that, US Broadband Pricing still Keeps Many People Offline More Frequently than they'd Like.




Info Sources:

http://consumerist.com/2015/04/01/nearly-7-of-americans-say-their-smartphone-is-their-only-way-to-get-online

http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2015/03/PI_Smartphones_0401151.pdf