According to new apartment renter broadband study from research and broadband data provider BroadbandNow, renters see high-speed internet being as essential as a dishwasher for their homes. Nearly 40% of renters said both were “must haves,” outranking covered parking (cited by 18% of respondents) and a pool (just under 15%).
Currently a little over one-third (35%) of apartment dwellers access the internet via wireless, and another 30% via cable. Less than 10% currently have fiber connections.
In a survey of nearly 6,000 American apartment dwellers, BroadbandNow found that nearly half of all apartment hunters would be willing to pay more in rent for apartments with high-speed internet connections via fiber. For renters without a fiber connection today, 17 percent said fiber would be worth $50 or more per month. For customers with a fiber connection today, 35 percent said $50 or more per month.
Additionally, current fiber customers are much more likely to list fiber as a must-have than customers who have yet to experience internet speeds available via fiber, according to BroadbandNow.
Three-quarters of apartment dwellers who have fiber rated their internet access as very good or good, compared to 70% of non-fiber customers.
The research also found that a little less than one third (30%) of apartment shoppers who don’t have fiber access today said that a fiber connection would enter into their decision-making process for selecting a new apartment.
Joan Engebretson contributed material to this report.
