In 2004, growth in the overall number of rural households that reported owning a home computer or have Internet connectivity appears to be flat, while growth among those households switching from a dial-up Internet service to a broadband service seems to be quite robust. Based upon these findings we are now estimating that one third (34%) of all rural Internet users and one-in-five (21%) of all rural households now subscribe to a broadband service.
The average reported price for broadband service in rural Minnesota has dropped 8.5 percent, from $40.90 in 2003 to $37.45 in 2004. However, dial-up customers still report that prices would have to drop below $30 before a majority of these users would switch to a broadband service.
Finally, socio-demographic factors such as age, income, or whether school-age children are in the home are extremely good predictors of computer ownership and Internet connectivity, as well as broadband adoption.
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