9.2 Universal Access to Technology

Access to technology is a critical first step on the road to participation in the information revolution and the New Economy—and a critical issue for regional economic growth.

A 2008 Nielsen Company report on internet access in the US found:

• 81% of surveyed households had a home computer and over 90% of those households have internet access;
• 57% of surveyed homes have high-speed internet service and 17% subscribe to dial up;
• 88% of people aged 18 to 34 has internet access; 78% had high-speed internet access;
• 89% of college graduates have in-home access to the internet compared to 37% of those who did not complete high school;
• Households earning more than $50,000 have home internet access at a rate twice that of households earning less than $25,000 and 80% of households making between $75,000 and $200,000 have high-speed internet access
• New England had the highest penetration of high-speed internet access at 71%

In 2009 Forbes Magazine ranked Boston as the 5th “Most Wired” US city based on the percent of households with broadband access, number of internet providers and availability of free WiFi hotspots.