According to the Pew Research Center, US broadband at home has dropped from 70% penetration in 2013 to 67% in 2015. The main reason cited is cost, which has pushed people to access the web in other ways. That’s why 13% say they have a smartphone, but no high speed at home, up from 8% two years earlier.
These shifts are even more pronounced among African Americans, who 20% claim to have a smartphone, but no broadband at home. In fact only 54% have high speed at home, down from 62% in 2013.
This movement away from home broadband to smartphones will affect cable operators and how they charge for high speed and other services; media and entertainment companies and how they produce content for a smaller screen and advertisers in how they reach mobile and micro audiences.
