49 percent of American adults say home broadband service is essential

[Forward This]( [blank][Tweet This]( [blank][Send to Linkedin]( [blank][Send to Facebook]( [blank] [NOTD image header] Forty-nine percent (49%) of American adults believe home broadband service is essential. Pew Research found that another 41% believe it is important but not essential.[1]( Among those who do not currently have broadband service, 36% consider it essential. Seventy percent of Americans believe local governments should be allowed to build their own high-speed networks to expand broadband coverage. However, only 44% believe that government should subsidize the cost of broadband access for low-income Americans. Despite the growing importance of broadband services, nearly half (47%) of all broadband users do not know the download speed of their own service. [Click here to view the Number of the Day online→]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Each weekday, [Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day]( explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author. To see other recent numbers, check out the [archive](. Was this email forwarded to you? [Click here to subscribe to Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day.]( Scott Rasmussen is an editor-at-large for Ballotpedia, the Encyclopedia of American Politics. He is a senior fellow for the study of self-governance at the King’s College in New York. His most recent book, [Politics Has Failed: America Will Not](, was published by the Sutherland Institute in May. Decide which emails you want from Ballotpedia. [Unsubscribe]( or [update your subscription preferences](. Ballotpedia The Encyclopedia of American Politics [8383 Greenway Blvd., Suite 600]( [Middleton, WI 53562]( [Facebook]( [Twitter](