As Tony Abbott pushes an alternate low cost broadband policy in Australia he may have found sympathy from, of all places the US public, who according to a new research do not favour making affordable high-speed Internet access a government priority.
According to a study done by Pew Internet & American Life 53 per cent of 2,252 adults researched said that fast broadband should not be a priority.
They claimed that expansion of current US services, which in some areas are slower than Australia, should not be attempted by the government, nor was it an important priority.
According to Reuters Aaron Smith, author of the Pew Internet Project’s report: “A debate has arisen about the role of government in stepping in to ensure availability to high-speed Internet access for all Americans,” he said.
“The majority think not, and the surprise is that non-users are the least inclined to think government has a role in the spread of broadband.”
Like the current Labour Government in Australia, expanding affordable high-speed Internet access to all Americans is the main mission of the Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Plan.
The Pew survey, which was conducted between April 29 and May 30, found that:
* 26 per cent say that expansion of affordable broadband access should not be attempted by government
* 27 per cent said it was “not too important” a priority
* 30 per cent said it was an important priority
* 11 per cent said it should be a top priority
The survey also found that broadband adoption rates in the United States have dramatically slowed as 66 per cent of Americans have a broadband service compared with 63 per cent in 2009.
