September 18th, 2008
US broadband users pay $34.50 a month on average
Home broadband users reported that their monthly payment for internet service was $34.50 - 4% less than the figure of $36 per month reported in December 2005.2 This decline in monthly broadband bills is half the rate (8%) reported over the February 2004 to December 2005 timeframe. As in 2005, there is a gap in what people pay for cable modem service compared to DSL, although it is narrower today than a few years ago. In December 2005, cable modem users reported monthly bills of $41 for service, while DSL users said they paid $32 per month for service. In May 2008, DSL users reported monthly internet access bills of $31.5 and cable modem users said they paid $37.5 for service, or an average difference of $6, according to the Pew Internet Project.
75% of home high-speed users said faster access or greater speed as advantage of broadband connection. Other uses cited as the feature valued most included the “always on”‘ connection (cited by 6% of broadband users), convenience (5%),broadband connectioneducational materials (2%). This is not to say that broadband users don’t value specific applications listed above (and others such as gaming and entertainment) that a high-speed connection enables. When pressed as to what might lure them into the ranks of home high-speed users, a plurality of dial-up respondents cited price. 35% of dial-up users said that they would switch to broadband if the price became more affordable and, as noted above, there remains a sizable gap in what dial-up users pay monthly for online access and what broadband users pay.
