--- title: More Americans Are Giving Up This Tech 'Must-Have' description: A new Pew report says a "small but statistically significant" number of Americans have dropped broadband service, largely due to cost. authors: - name: Martha C. White role: Writer url: https://money.com/author/martha-c-white/ education: BA, English, Princeton University at_money_since: 2015 articles: 350 covers: - Technology - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Federal Reserve Rate Cuts - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes published: '2015-12-23T18:18:18.000Z' modified: '2024-04-16T09:32:02.000Z' section: Technology tags: - broadband - broadband internet - cord cutters - cord cutting - high speed internet - pubdesk - smartphone - smartphone plans word_count: 375 canonical: https://money.com/pew-study-giving-up-broadband/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![151223_EM_HOMEBROADBAND](https://img.money.com/2015/12/151223_em_homebroadband.jpg) *businesswoman using cell phone and watching daughter in office* Even as more Americans are swapping out cable TV for cheaper streaming options, a smaller number are walking away from high-speed Internet -- and some experts say the trend indicates an economic divide between the digital haves and have-nots. According to a new [study](http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2015/12/Broadband-adoption-full.pdf) from the Pew Research Center, 67% of Americans have broadband Internet at home, a drop from the 70% who had it two years ago. Pew calls the drop "a small but statistically significant difference," especially given that 15% of people now identify themselves as "cord cutters." About 60% of those without the service said they didn't have broadband because it cost too much, and 70% of those without high-speed Internet said they didn't have plans to sign up for it. One possible reason that more people are dropping broadband at home: They're relying on [smartphones](https://money.com/best-smartphone/) for all their Internet access. Pew points out that 68% of Americans now have smartphones, about the same number who have broadband, and that the number who are "smartphone only" jumped from 8% to 13% in just two years. This shift is especially pronounced among some demographics. Today, roughly one in five African-Americans have a smartphone but no broadband access at home, a ratio that has nearly doubled in two years. Likewise, only about two in five Americans who earn less than $20,000 a year have broadband at home, and 21% have only a smartphone for Internet access. - **Read more: [Best Cell Phone Plans](https://money.com/best-cellphone-plans-2015/)** There are some troubling implications to having more people use only smartphones to get online, Pew argues. "The fact that more Americans have only a smartphone for online access at home has consequences for how people get information," the report says. Among them: It's more likely that these consumers will have to contend with low data caps and pricey overage fees. And they're at greater risk of losing service or being dropped by a carrier because they can't afford the cost. Smartphone-only users also face challenges doing some important things, Pew says: filling out online job applications on tiny phone screens, for instance, and watching videos for how-to and tutorial information. Video streaming also eats up data allotments more quickly, which can lead to these smartphone customers getting hit with overage fees. ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/pew-study-giving-up-broadband/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Technology", "item": "https://money.com/technology/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Wi-Fi", "item": "https://money.com/wi-fi/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "More Americans Are Giving Up This Tech 'Must-Have'" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/pew-study-giving-up-broadband/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/pew-study-giving-up-broadband/", "name": "More Americans Are Giving Up This Tech 'Must-Have'", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2015-12-23T18:18:18.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/pew-study-giving-up-broadband/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/pew-study-giving-up-broadband/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2024-04-16T09:32:02.000Z" }, { "@type": "Article", "headline": "More Americans Are Giving Up This Tech 'Must-Have'", "articleSection": "Technology", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2015/12/151223_em_homebroadband.jpg", "width": 2100, "height": 1400, "caption": "151223_EM_HOMEBROADBAND" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martha C. 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