Residential - Broadband Benefits

1. Home-Based Services, Home-sourcing and Teleworking

Broadband is a major driver behind new work patterns including e-working (home-based working) and teleworking. Besides increasingly flexible working hours and reduced commutes, broadband work benefits include better time management and the ability to multitask and choose priorities.  Teleworking allows employees to be constantly in touch with colleagues via an always-on connection.

For those who live in rural areas, broadband connectivity can offer new home-based employment opportunities, such as customer services, data transcription/processing, speciality services/consulting and even on-line reservation processing.

For those workers whose can take advantage of telecommuting, broadband in their homes offers greater flexibility, a better work/life balance and the ability to work as effectively from home as they do at work. For the employer the benefits include lower fixed costs in the workplace, improved efficiency and a more loyal workforce.

2. Consumer Information/Price Comparison/On-Line Shopping

With a broadband connection, people can readily access the vast resources of the Internet to become thriftier shoppers and wiser consumers. Shopping over the web has exploded over the past five years, and this growth is expected to continue unabated. Web sites such as www.consumerreports.org allow shoppers to sit at home and research the best or most dependable product or service. On-line price comparison sites (www.shopping.com, www.mysimon.com, www.pricingcentral.com and www.bizrate.com) allow consumers to do on-line price comparsion and shopping on almost anything. Other sites, such as www.edmunds.com and www.autobytel.com, allow auto shoppers to research new and used car prices from their homes. These are just a few examples of how connected consumers are benefiting from this new way to do price comparisons and then save money.

3. Access to Health Information/Research

The Internet has many, many respected web sites that provide a vast repository of information on health issues, medical information and clinical research.  According to recent research, eight in ten Internet users have looked for health information online, with increased interest in diet, fitness, drugs, health insurance, experimental treatments, and particular doctors and hospitals.  As advances are made in health care technology, particularly in the field of e-health, broadband connections will allow for "revolutionary" health monitoring, testing and prevention tools and applications.  Someday soon we even may have "tele-house calls" by doctors and nurses.

4. Expanded Entertainment/Cultural Options

Broadband connectivity is providing people in rural areas with a new way to have access to entertainment, artistic, musical and cultural resources.  Streaming video and multi-media presentations are available thanks to the speed of a high-speed Internet connection.  With the ongoing "cable/TV/computer convergence," more and more of this web-based programming will be possible via broadband in the near future. And, on-line games are nearly impossible without a broadband connection.