19 Million Older Adults Lack Broadband

Older Adults Technology Services from AARP released new research, finding that 19 million older adults (32 percent) have no wireline high-speed home service. Rural seniors are less connected than their counterparts in metro or suburban areas. Older seniors—those aged 75 and above—are less likely to have broadband service than people between the ages of 65 and 74. OATS retained Benton Senior Fellow John B. Horrigan, Ph.D., to analyze American Community Survey data for trends. His findings revealed substantial gaps in access to digital tools when comparing older adults to other age groups. Topline findings include:

• The number of older adults who lack wireline broadband access at home has fallen from 22 million in 2018 (42 percent) to 19 million (32 percent) in 2023. The gap is closing, but it has not closed.
• Older adults have seen modest increases in ownership of large-screen computers (desktops and laptops), from 70 percent in 2018 to 73 percent in 2023, with a slightly larger increase from 60 percent to 67 percent for those over age 75.
• Policies enacted since 2021, including the American Rescue Plan Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Job Act, targeted funds to increasing connectivity nationwide, but inconsistent implementation has yielded patchwork results.