Broadband Readings

      This group of articles was all about the spread of broadband in American homes, and those who don't find it necessary. In recent years, broadband has spread rapidly to many homes in America, and many people believe it is vital for job opportunities and career skills, health information, government services, keeping up with today's news, and many other important sources of information. (Home Broadband 2010) A trend has emerged in recent years of cutting back on cell phone service and television services while maintaining broadband in the home. We live in a technological age, so many of these people see broadband as the most useful portal into the digital world; thus, they place broadband above other forms of technology in their homes. (Home Broadband Adoption 2009) However, there are still a small percentage of Americans without broadband in their homes. These include people who don't know how to use the internet, don't see it as necessary in their lives, or they simply are not interested in going online whatsoever. I can relate to this group, as my parents don't have an internet connection in their house. They had dial-up internet for some time when my sisters and I were still home, but they did not upgrade to charter internet until I was almost ready to leave; once the nest was empty they turned off their internet connection completely. Neither of my parents ever really took the time to learn to use the computer efficiently; they knew the benefits of having an internet connection but didn't think it was worth paying the extra money for the small amount they might use it. I personally am of the opinion that broadband is vital in today's world; it allows you to keep up with what's happening as well as stay connected with distant friends and family, communicate quickly and with ease, and it still has many more benefits. However, my parents live in a more slow-paced world than I do; they are happy to live their lives without the intrusion of internet.
      Something I found interesting about these two articles was that, despite the fact that they are done by the same group (Pew Internet and American Life Project) they contradict each other on their facts. One article says that African Americans have seen a very small amount of broadband usage growth in the past two years, while the other states that they have had a very large jump both years and are continuing to rapidly grow. While I don't feel that this is incredibly relevant information, it still makes me wonder how credible these censuses are. While they display some very sound and detailed information, it seems that their facts are also a little skewed. I thought that maybe this was a way to convince people that broadband needs to spread and be in the homes of all Americans; perhaps they would benefit from this. Either way, I just thought it was a noteable fact.