Broadband Adoption and Use in Canada and the US: Is the Digital Divide Closing?

Despite the pervasiveness of the Internet by 2010, 21% of Canadian households and some 29% of American households did not go online. The digital divide based on location (urban versus rural) persists, although it is narrowing. Although the digital divides based on income, education and age have been narrowing since the last several years, a concern remains as to whether the rates of closure are economically desirable or politically acceptable. Of at least equal concern is the “Adoption Gap,” between those individuals and households to whom Internet access is available, and those who actually choose to adopt and use it.Drawing upon data collected through the Statistics Canada Canadian Internet Use Survey (CIUS) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS)-Internet Use Supplement, as well as the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunication Commission’s (CRTC) annual Communications Monitoring Report, this paper examines the patterns of broadband Internet adoption and use in Canada and the U.S., paying special attention to the characteristics of those Canadians and Americans who did not use the Internet in 2009 and 2010. It further examines the reasons reported for not using the Internet and discusses their implications. The policy response will necessarily differ when attempting to address these differing underlying reasons. For example, the inability to access the Internet based on the unavailability or high cost of broadband requires a different policy response than that required to address the reluctance to use it due to lack of perceived utility, lack of digital skills or fear of technology.