---
title: "Broadband Expansion Not a Government Priority"
description: "A majority of Americans do not believe that the spread of affordable broadband should be a major government priority."
date: "2010-08-12"
authors:
  - name: "Russell Heimlich"
    job_title: "Former web developer"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/russell-heimlich/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2010/08/12/broadband-expansion-not-a-government-priority/"
---

# Broadband Expansion Not a Government Priority

A majority of Americans (53%) do not believe that increasing the availability of affordable high-speed internet connections should be a federal government priority. This includes a quarter of Americans (26%) that say spreading broadband-internet access shot not at all be attempted by the government. Another 27% said spreading high-speed internet was “not too important.” A 41% minority believe that the spreading affordable broadband access should be an important (30%) or top (11%) for the federal government. Americans who do not use the internet are the most opposed to spreading broadband access. Fully 45% of non-users say the government should not attempt to make affordable broadband available to everyone, just 5% say access should be a top priority. Younger adults and African Americans are the most likely to favor a government effort to expand broadband access. [Read More](https://www.pewresearch.org/pubs/1694/broadband-adoption-slows-dramatically-except-african-americans-little-interest-among-non-users)