Study shows broadband access translates to $32B to consumers - South Florida Business Journal:

asabcitxit.blogspot.com
The study, which was conducted by Jonathan Robert Willig andMark Dutz, revealed that a broadban d connection is now considere d a necessity by many Americans. a former Economic Policy Adviserd for PresidentBill Clinton, and Dutz, an economicds consultant with , presented their Tuesday morninh at an Internet Innovation Alliance Academy on Capitolk Hill. The IAA is a coalitiomn of businessesand non-profits that work to provide broadband Interneft to every American. They supporf the government’s creation of a national broadband initiative.
Willig is Professor of Economics and Public Affairss at Princeton University and former chievf economist in the Departmentof Justice's Antitrusg Division. “What this study does for the firs time is quantify the recent increasesw in value that Americansplace on, and derived from, their broadband connections, amounting to some $32 billion per year in consumert benefits,” said Orszag. The trio derived the $32 billionn figure by researching how much consumers value theirbroadband access, which totaled $60 and then subtracted how much Internet userss paid per year for their which amounted to $28 Consumers find benefits from broadbanrd in the areas of health care, work, news, communication, entertainment and civic affairs.
The studyu also found that home broadband adoption increased morethan six-fold since 2001 with 66.6 millionh households using broadband in 2008 comparede with only 10.4 million families sevemn years ago. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Plantagged $7.2 billionb for broadband development and entrusted the to develop a national broadband The researchers hoped that nationaol broadband strategy will empower the government to partnefr with the private sector to help deliver Internet accese to every corner of the country.