New Interview and Research Reveal: Computer Ownership is Central to Broadband Adoption

A new national study finds that computer ownership is more important than in-home internet access for meaningful digital participation. A companion video interview with lead author Dr. Amy Gonzales is now available.

NORTH CONWAY, NEW HAMPSHIRE / ACCESS Newswire / August 5, 2025 / Digitunity has released a new interview with Dr. Amy Gonzales, associate professor at UC Santa Barbara in the Department of Communication, exploring new research that reframes the role of computer ownership in meaningful internet use and digital access. The interview coincides with the publication of Dr. Gonzales’s peer-reviewed study, “First-Level Fundamentals: Computer Ownership Is More Important for Internet Benefits than In-Home Internet Service,” in the open-access Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication.

Dr. Gonzales directly discusses how this study challenges the assumption that broadband is the most important tool for digital access. Instead, findings highlight the more substantial impact of personal computer ownership on beneficial internet use (e.g., job searching, eHealth, civic tasks) compared to in-home internet or smartphones alone. She also explores what this means for infrastructure and investment strategies moving forward.

“Computer access seems to be the most important, or most strongly associated with these beneficial uses of the internet… our data suggests that perhaps it is because people are able to take their computers out of the home to find internet access elsewhere, whereas internet access without a computer only gets you so far.”

The study, based on two waves of U.S. census data (2020 and 2023), finds that access to a laptop or desktop computer is more consistently associated with beneficial internet use, such as job applications, healthcare access, and public services, than either smartphones or in-home internet service.

The full video interview, hosted by Digitunity board member Allison Strobel, is available here.

About Digitunity:
Digitunity is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to make owning a computer possible for everyone. For over 40 years, Digitunity has been engaged in the work of shaping and strengthening systems to address computer ownership among those impacted by the digital divide. Through generating and placing donated computers with organizations serving people in need, supporting a national practitioner network, and providing strategic advisory support to states and cities, Digitunity works to create sustainable solutions that make computer ownership possible for all.

SOURCE: Digitunity

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