NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Consumer Reports just launched a first-of-its-kind project to uncover what people really pay -- and what they are really getting -- for their internet service. With the support of local and national partner organizations, including Impremedia’s Spanish-language newspapers and websites, CR will seek to collect thousands of consumer broadband bills at broadbandtogether.org to analyze the cost, quality, and speeds that are being delivered to people in communities across the U.S., and to better understand the factors that affect price and why consumers pay different rates for the same service.
Impremedia will help CR to reach Hispanics in order to have a meaningful representation of this community in the survey.
The findings from this major initiative will help CR in its effort to press internet service providers and government officials to deliver greater access to fair, affordable, reliable internet services. In a recent CR survey, 76 percent of Americans say that internet service is as important as electricity and running water in today’s world, and 86% say they rely on the internet at least five days a week.
Over the past 15 months, the pandemic has forced Americans to work online, enter classrooms remotely and stay connected with family and friends through broadband internet service. This has revealed the serious challenges that millions of Americans face every day when it comes to getting broadband. Many consumers can be charged more based on where they live. People get stuck with slow speeds and poor quality of service because of a lack of competition in their community. Some consumers spend more money for less service, thanks to confusing pricing, and too many people simply cannot get online because there is no service where they live, or they cannot afford it.
CR is working with a broad coalition of partners to examine these issues by asking thousands of consumers to share information about the quality and cost of their internet connection. CR’s Digital Lab has created a web tool at broadbandtogether.org for consumers to upload their bills for CR to analyze. To participate, consumers will need an internet bill, an internet connection so CR researchers can test their speeds, and answer a few questions about their broadband service.
The diverse coalition includes more than 40 organizations across the country that have partnered together for this critical initiative.
The White House has proposed a plan to spend $100 billion to boost broadband access and affordability, and members of Congress have proposed the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act (AAIA Act). While these actions are promising, they will take years to fully go into effect, if they are enacted.
The project is funded in part by the generosity of Craig Newmark Philanthropies and the Ford Foundation. To learn more and take part in this project, visit broadbandtogether.org.
About Impremedia
Impremedia is the leading news and lifestyle company serving the Spanish-speaking Latino community in the United States. It has a digital and print portfolio of trusted, influential brands that reach a highly engaged, multi-generational Hispanic audience. La Opinión, founded in 1926 in Los Angeles is the nation’s #1 Spanish-language daily newspaper, while El Diario, founded in 1913 in New York is the oldest Spanish-speaking daily newspaper in the United States. It also publishes La Raza in Chicago and La Opinión de la Bahía en San Francisco.
The Impremedia family of digital media outlets includes news websites such as La Opinión, El Diario NY and La Raza, and Lifestyle brands like Solo Dinero (Personal finances), Siempre Auto (Automobiles), Comedera (Recipes), Bien Bonita, (Beauty) and La Vibra (Entertainment), attracts more than 35 million monthly users worldwide. These brands have around 2 million followers on Social Media.
Impremedia is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Publications and the Local Medium Consortium.
