Survey says a majority of Iowans are connected

A new state survey finds 70 percent of Iowans can log-on to the Internet either at home or at work. The survey shows 60 percent of Iowa households have an Internet connection. That’s 11 percentage points better than the national average. The Iowa Alliance for Advanced Telecommunication Services conducted the survey in October and November, quizzing folks in 300 Iowa businesses and 500 Iowa homes. Governor Tom Vilsack says the survey shows Iowans lack the high-speed Internet access he says is crucial. Just 29 percent of businesses have a high-speed connection. Only 10 percent of rural Iowans who use the Internet do it on a high-speed connection, while a quarter of urban Iowans have high-speed access. The president and C-E-O of Iowa Network Services says the survey shows there’s a need for state laws that’ll encourage Internet service providers to offer high-speed connections.