How Satisfied are Minnesotans
with their Broadband Service?
December 2012
Year after year, the United States ranks near the middle of international
rankings on broadband service. Although, subscribers of home
broadband service in America tend to have an overwhelmingly positive
view of their home and mobile broadband services. Two years ago,
the Federal Communications Commission found that over nine out of
ten broadband subscribers (92%) reported being “very satisfied” or
“somewhat satisfied” with their broadband service.1,2 In addition, 91% of
mobile broadband users were “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied”
with their service.3
To examine how these trends are reflected locally, home broadband
subscribers and mobile Internet users were asked whether they are
satisfied with those services as part of 2011 Connect Minnesota
Residential Technology Assessment. In addition to satisfaction with
overall service, Minnesotans rated various aspects of home broadband
and mobile Internet service, including download speeds, upload
speeds, video quality, customer service, monthly prices, service
contracts, and the reliability of their service. Connect Minnesota found
that similar to national trends, Minnesotans are generally pleased with
the overall service they receive from their providers. However, home
broadband subscribers become less satisfied with different aspects of
service over time.
Satisfaction with Home Broadband Service
Among the findings from this survey:
•
Across the state, 59% of home
broadband subscribers say they are
“very satisfied” with the service, and
37% say they are “somewhat satisfied.”
•
48% of Minnesotans who access the
Internet on their cell phones say they
are “very satisfied” with their mobile
Internet service, while 47% say they are
“somewhat satisfied.”
•
More than four out of five home
broadband subscribers give a favorable
rating to the reliability of their service
(82%), yet only 43% say the same thing
about the monthly price they pay.
•
New broadband subscribers (those who
have subscribed for 12 months or less)
are more likely to give favorable ratings
to every aspect of their home broadband
service.
•
Among Minnesotans who access the
Internet on their cell phones, 60% give a
favorable rating to their mobile provider’s
service area.
Nearly three out of four Minnesotans (72%) subscribe to home
broadband service (Figure 1). This equates to approximately 2.9 million
adults in the state who have broadband service at their home.
Figure 1.
Home Broadband Adoption in Minnesota
72%
of Minnesotans
subscribe to home
broadband service
1 Federal Communication Commission, http://www.fcc.gov/document/broadband-satisfaction-what-consumers-report-about-their-broadbandinternet-provider
2 Federal Communications Commission, http://www.fcc.gov/blog/more-speed-just-how-satisfied-are-customers
3 Ibid
How Satisfied are Minnesotans
with their Broadband Service?
2
December 2012
www.connectmn.org
When asked whether they were satisfied with their
current home broadband service, broadband subscribers
in Minnesota generally reported that they are satisfied
with their current home service. Well over half (59%) of
Minnesota broadband subscribers are “very satisfied” with
the overall service they receive (Figure 2). This accounts for
1.7 million adults with a subscription to broadband service.
Figure 2.
Overall Satisfaction with Home Broadband
Service in Minnesota
Very Satisfied
59%
In Figure 2, 37% of Minnesotans say they are “somewhat
satisfied” with their overall home broadband service. That
translates into approximately 1 million home broadband
subscribers that are “somewhat satisfied” with their service.
Only 4% of, or approximately 127,000, home broadband
subscribers in Minnesota say they are not satisfied with their
home broadband service.
Somewhat
Satisfied
37%
Not Satisfied
4%
Satisfaction with Aspects of Home Broadband Service
In addition to measuring how satisfied Minnesotans are with their broadband service overall, Connect Minnesota
asked home broadband subscribers to rate specific aspects of their service on a scale from 1 to 5, ranging from
“very satisfied” (5 out of 5) to “very dissatisfied” (1 out of 5). Of these seven aspects, reliability of service is rated
as the most satisfying by home broadband subscribers. Eighty two percent (82%), or approximately 2.4 million
subscribers, rate the reliability of their service as a 4 or 5 out of 5, or a favorable rating (Figure 3).
Figure 3.
Favorable Satisfaction Rating (Rating of 4 or 5) with Aspects of Home Broadband Service
62%
62%
Customer
Service
Terms of
Service
67%
67%
73%
82%
43%
Monthly
Price
Download
Speed
Upload
Speed
Video
Quality
Reliability
of Service
On the other hand, Minnesota broadband subscribers are least likely to give a favorable rating to the monthly
price they pay for their home broadband service. Less than half (43%) of home broadband subscribers rate
their monthly price as favorable, which translates into approximately 1.2 million home broadband subscribers.
By comparison, 48% of broadband subscribers across the 10 states surveyed by Connected Nation rate their
monthly price for service favorable.
Satisfaction by Longevity of Home Broadband Subscription
Satisfaction with aspects of home broadband service also differs between those who have been subscribing for
less than twelve months, 1 to 4 years, and 5 years or more (Figure 4).
How Satisfied are Minnesotans
with their Broadband Service?
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December 2012
www.connectmn.org
The widest margin on difference in Figure 4 is with satisfaction of monthly price paid for home broadband service.
More than one-half (58%) of subscribers who have had broadband for less than twelve months give favorable
ratings to their monthly price, while fewer than one-half (45%) of those who have subscribed for 1 to 4 years and
slightly more than one in three (36%) who have been subscribing for 5 years or more, give their monthly price a
favorable rating.
Figure 4.
Favorable Satisfaction (Rating of 4 or 5) by Longevity of Subscription
Less than 12 months
1 to 4 years
Monthly Price
58%
45%
36%
5 years or more
73%
63%
59%
Terms of Service
81%
71%
74%
Video Quality
74%
65%
67%
Download Speed
71%
60%
65%
Customer Service
89%
79%
83%
Reliability of Service
69%
66%
68%
Upload Speed
Satisfaction with Mobile Internet Service
In Minnesota, approximately 1.3 million adults (or 39%) are accessing the Internet through their cell phones. The
vast majority of Minnesotans report being satisfied with their mobile service - only 5% of Minnesotans who go
online using their cell phones say they are not satisfied with their service (Figure 5). Satisfaction among mobile
Internet users is comparable to overall satisfaction with home broadband service; however, fewer mobile Internet
users say they are “very satisfied” with the Internet service on their cell phones.
Figure 5.
Satisfaction with Mobile Internet Service
via Cell Phone
Somewhat
Satisfied
47%
Very
Satisfied
48%
Not Satisfied
5%
How Satisfied are Minnesotans
with their Broadband Service?
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December 2012
www.connectmn.org
Satisfaction with Aspects of Mobile Internet Service
Satisfaction with different aspects of mobile Internet service generally mirrors the favorable ratings given to similar
aspects of home broadband service: reliability receives the most favorable ratings while the monthly price is one
of the least-favored aspects of service (Figure 6).
Figure 6.
Favorable Satisfaction Rating (Rating of 4 or 5) with Aspects of Mobile Internet (via Cell Phone)
41%
42%
44%
Download
Speed
Monthly
Price
Upload
Speed
59%
51%
Video
Quality
Terms of
Service
60%
Service
Area
62%
Customer
Service
64%
Reliability
of Service
Minnesotans who access the Internet on their cell phones give their download speeds the lowest in terms of a
favorable rating: 41%. Nearly two out of three mobile Internet users (64%) give a favorable rating to the reliability
of their service. Service area or the service territory where mobile Internet users can access service on their
cell phones receives a three out of five (60%) favorable rating among Minnesotans who use their cell phones to
access the Internet.
Conclusion
Minnesotans that subscribe to home broadband service or use mobile Internet are generally satisfied with the
over all services. The aspect of service that is rated the highest among home broadband and mobile Internet is
reliability of service. Although, monthly price paid for service is least satisfied with aspect of service among home
broadband subscribers and download speed is the least satisfied aspect among mobile Internet users.
Customer satisfaction is an important piece of ensuring the continued adoption and use of broadband service.
Both home broadband subscribers and users of mobile Internet require the same level of attention to ensure
sustainable adoption of the services.
How Satisfied are Minnesotans
with their Broadband Service?
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December 2012
www.connectmn.org
Methodology and Definitions
2011 Residential Technology Assessment
Between June 22 and August 14, 2011, Connect Minnesota conducted random digit dial telephone surveys of
1,200 adults across the state. Of the 1,200 respondents randomly contacted statewide, 202 were called on their
cellular phones, and 998 were contacted via landline telephone.
Multiple attempts were made to each working telephone number on different days of the week and at different
times of the day to increase the likelihood of contacting a potential respondent. To ensure a representative
sample, quotas were set by age, gender, and county of residence (rural or non-rural), and the results were
weighted to coincide with 2010 United States Census population figures. For the purpose of setting quotas and
weighting, “rural” respondents are defined as living in a county that is not a part of a Metropolitan Statistical Area
(MSA), as designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget. Weighting and design consultation
were provided by Lucidity Research.
Surveys were conducted by Thoroughbred Research Group. On average, the survey took approximately 12
minutes to complete after the respondent agreed to participate. Based on the effective sample size, the margin
of error = + 3.2% at a 95% level of confidence for the entire population. As with any survey, question wording and
the practical challenges of data collection may introduce an element of error or bias that is not reflected in this
margin of error. Survey results were subsequently peer reviewed for accuracy by experts in survey design and
statistics at Iowa State University.
The Residential Technology Assessment and the Business Technology Assessment were conducted as part of
the State Broadband Initiative (SBI) grant program, funded by the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA). The SBI grant program was created by the Broadband Data Improvement Act (BDIA),
unanimously passed by Congress in 2008 and funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
in 2009. To learn more about Connect Minnesota and its programs please visit www.connectmn.org or e-mail us
at [email protected].
How Satisfied are Minnesotans
with their Broadband Service?
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December 2012
www.connectmn.org
APPENDIX:
Select sample sizes
2011 Connect Minnesota Residential Technology Assessment
Total
Home Broadband
Subscribers
(n)
Cell Phone
Internet Users
(n)
832
322
Q: When did you first begin subscribing to home broadband service?
Less than 12 months ago
96
Between 1 and 4 years ago
348
5 or more years
How Satisfied are Minnesotans
with their Broadband Service?
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December 2012
www.connectmn.org