Pew Identifies the “Smartphone-Dependent” – What Could It Mean For Lifeline?

[Commentary] Is all broadband created equal? Just last month, the White House announced that 98 percent of Americans nationwide live in areas served with 4G, high-speed wireless Internet. Does that mean the U.S. can afford to give up on efforts to bring broadband everywhere? Mission accomplished? Some recent research indicates that wireless Internet access is a distinctly different service than wireline broadband -- and one that offers a distinctly different experience for users. This week, the Pew Research Center, in association with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, released new findings about U.S. smartphone use. Fully 64% of American adults own a smartphone, a cellular phone that performs many of the functions of a computer, typically having a touchscreen interface, Internet access, and an operating system capable of running downloaded applications. Many smartphone owners have ample options at their disposal when they need to go online: 85% have a high-speed broadband connection at home, 87% own a desktop or laptop computer, and 53% own a tablet computer in addition to their smartphone. But what of the consumers who must rely on wireless for their connections to the Internet?