The End of Progress

The 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) shows essentially no change in wireline broadband adoption between 2023 and 2024 and just a 1-point increase in the share of households with broadband of any type. The primary growth in broadband adoption of any type occurred among households with subscriptions to cellular data plans for smartphones. While wired broadband adoption stagnated, more households relied on cell phones only for at-home internet access in 2024 than 2023—a phenomenon most common among low-income households. In 2023 ACS data, 22 percent of households with incomes below $25,000 annually relied only on cell plans for home internet service compared with just 8 percent for households making more than $250,000 per year. Further, assuming a decline in “cell only” represents progress (i.e., because more people have multiple access means), then the figure below shows that progress from 2019 to 2021 was erased by 2023, with further deterioration in 2024.