Americans who use the Internet are more likely to pursue...
Americans who use the Internet are more likely to pursue active job searches and not drop out of the labor force, said a Phoenix Center study released Thursday (http://xrl.us/bmahxb). “Broadband Internet use was found to reduce the probability of becoming…
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‘discouraged’ by about 50 percent on average,” the study said. “Dial-up Internet use also had a large effect, reducing the probability of becoming discouraged by about one-third. Significantly, our results also demonstrated that the promotion of shared connections, such as at schools and libraries, in unserved and underserved areas may, in fact, produce substantial societal benefits.” Use of mobile broadband also keeps job searchers from becoming discouraged, though “there are meaningful shortfalls in coverage, particularly in rural markets,” the center said. “Facilitating private investment in expanded mobile broadband coverage could improve the efficiency of labor markets, particularly for persons living in lower-income households or rural markets.” To that end, the study said AT&T’s proposed buy of T-Mobile could prove beneficial since AT&T has promised to roll out LTE in 97 percent of the U.S. Rural Cellular Association President Steve Berry said the report is consistent with his group’s arguments. “Wireless is the ‘people’s choice’ and especially for minorities, low-income users and the younger generation -- mobile is the mode of access to the Internet,” Berry said. “Mobile high speed broadband must be a choice and an option in the FCC [Universal Service Fund] reform effort."