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More Americans Relying Solely On Smartphones For Internet

With robocalls on the rise, New York state lawmakers hope to pass legislation that would impose new fines and give the attorney general new powers to investigate.
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With robocalls on the rise, New York state lawmakers hope to pass legislation that would impose new fines and give the attorney general new powers to investigate.

A new Pew Research study shows a slight drop in the amount of households with broadband internet.

John Horrigan is a Senior Researcher at the Pew Research Center. He says over the last two years, smartphone-only adoption went up, meaning more people used just their phone to access the internet.

The increase was even more pronounced among individuals in low-income households.

"People have only so much disposable income, and it's showing up in tech adoption patterns. So people are choosing a smartphone over a home broadband option."

Horrigan says being smartphone-only can come with distinct disadvantages, for instance, when applying for jobs.

"When we ask people with smartphones who do job searches using their smartphones what kinds of problems they encounter, they identify real problems."

Problems like not being able to see everything clearly on a small screen, or not being able to upload a resume or cover letter.

It's hard to predict if the trend will continue, Horrigan says, because the technology develops and disrupts so rapidly.

He says, taking all of this into consideration, it may make sense for municipalities to look at resources devoted to tech access at public libraries. In Rochester, Mayor Warren has announced they will be working with Monroe County and a private consultant in order to find the best use for miles of fiber networks in the infrastructure, which could potentially lead to faster, cheaper, and more accessible broadband internet.

Veronica Volk is a senior editor and producer for WXXI News.