|
WASHINGTON, DC—According
to a new survey released today by the National Consumers League
(NCL), many adults in the U.S. are purchasing a wide variety of
communication services and are ready to embrace new technologies
in the future: 39 percent of adults who use a landline said they
are likely to give it up and use only a wireless phone at home
within the next two years; and 46 percent of those who have
heard of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) said it was likely
that they would switch from their traditional landline service
to this technology.
A Washington-based nonprofit education and advocacy
organization, NCL commissioned the telephone survey of 1,000
adults, conducted by Harris Interactive®, to better understand
consumers’ current and future use of telephone, Internet, and
television services such as cable and satellite. “People seem to
be excited about new communications options,” said Susan Grant,
Vice President for Public Policy at NCL. “More choices are good
for consumers, but they need help navigating this increasingly
complex communications marketplace.”
Many consumers have taken advantage of their ability to choose
from multiple telephone providers; three-quarters of those with
long-distance service have switched their long distance carriers
(76 percent), and nearly half (45%) of those with local service
have switched their local service providers. Similarly, nearly
half (47%) of those with wireless service have switched
providers. Each month, consumers who have these services report
that they pay an average of $70 for telephone, $51 for
television and $28 for Internet. But they aren’t always happy
with what they get. Consumers are most satisfied with the
services for which they believe they have a choice of providers
– landline telephone, wireless telephone, and Internet services.
Among these services, cable television, for which few consumers
have a choice of providers, rated lowest in terms of
satisfaction with quality and value.
There are significant gaps in which services consumers have and
how they use them. For example, 65 percent of adults with
incomes over $100,000 have high-speed Internet access compared
to 14 percent of those who make less than $25,000 a year, and 40
percent of those aged 18 to 24 have high-speed Internet access,
while only 18 percent of people aged 65 and older do. Cost is a
factor: 35 percent of respondents with dial-up Internet service
cited cost as the reason they don’t have high-speed service.
The survey also showed that consumers are interested in bundles
of services – if the price is right. But some find it hard to
comparison shop for services, and advertisements don’t give them
all the information they need to do so. Twenty-six percent of
respondents said it is difficult to understand their phone
bills.
To help consumers make the most of their communications options,
NCL announced new tips at
www.nclnet.org/communications. Highlights from the survey,
complete survey results, and other resources can also be found
at the Web site. |
