(JULY 7, 2011) WASHINGTON, D.C. – People who live in the Washington, D.C., region are pretty well connected when it comes to high-speed Internet service — but there are still large swaths of the population that are uninterested or too financially strapped to plug in.
Having a low income is the most consistent trait among non-adopters, while Hispanics and rural residents are also less likely to be broadband subscribers, according to a four-month study of government data by the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University made possible by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
The analysis shows that broadband adoption is greater in the wealthy Washington suburbs —Fairfax County, Va., ranked first in connectedness while D.C. was 17th among the 29 jurisdictions examined.
The report, available at www.investigativereportingworkshop.org, was compiled by analyzing government data from the Federal Communications Commission and the Census Bureau. The Workshop examined the District of Columbia and adjoining counties and independent cities – an area that includes 1,051 Census tracts in three states and the District of Columbia. It comprises more than 2 million households and 5.6 million people.
Census tracts with poor broadband adoption rates (60 percent or lower) have average median household incomes of less than $69,000 – tracts with adoption rates of 80 percent or better had an average median income of $106,262.
The second-most connected jurisdiction was the city of Fairfax and third was Calvert County, Md. The worst-performing jurisdiction was Manassas, Va., with a 40 percent or lower adoption rate.
The analysis also showed a large gap between Hispanics and non-Hispanics when it comes to adoption rates, even when considering income. Majority-Hispanic Census tracts with household incomes between $50,000 and $60,000 scored much lower than non-Hispanic tracts with the same income.
The Workshop website includes a map that displays the FCC scores and detailed demographic data for each Census tract. It also displays providers in each tract downloaded from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
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Media Contact:
John Dunbar, Project Director, 202-885-2679
Investigative Reporting Workshop, American University