Many Iowa Businesses Want More Bandwidth; Lack Internet Backup

DES MOINES, IA — Thousands of state businesses want faster Internet speeds, while thousands more lack backup Internet services, according to Connect Iowa in its newly released a 2014 Iowa business survey report. The survey reveals that 13,000 Internet-connected businesses want more bandwidth; of those, nearly a third (31 percent) report that they can’t get faster service where they are located. The survey also shows 47,000 Internet-connected Iowa businesses don’t have redundant or backup Internet service meaning that if anything were to happen to their service, they would be unable to connect to the Internet.

“Our annual business survey shows how vital it is to continue efforts to bring empowering broadband to every corner of the state,” said Connect Iowa State Program Manager Amy Kuhlers. “Despite the great strides we’ve made, much work remains to ensure that all Iowa businesses have access to adequate broadband services that are so vital to today’s economic landscape.”

Other findings from the survey:

• One in five Internet-connected Iowa businesses (20 percent) now rely on cloud computing services for their operations. The most popular uses of cloud computing are:
  1. File sharing
  2. Website hosting


• More than one in eight businesses say it is important for new employees to be able to create or edit a mobile app, while one in eleven say it is important for new employees to know at least one programming language.


• Almost half of Iowa businesses (48 percent) say they spend their own time and resources training new employees on the software that their business uses.


• Online sales represent more than $20 billion dollars in revenues for Iowa businesses each year.


• Broadband adoption by Iowa businesses has increased from 72 percent in 2010 to 81 percent in 2014.


• The percentage of Iowa businesses that allow employees to telework continues to increase, from 18 percent in 2010 to 27 percent in 2014.

The report is based on a telephone survey of 600 business establishments across the state. Connect Iowa invites residents and businesses to explore and examine the survey results by clicking the link here and, most importantly, share the results.

Connect Iowa has been charged by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds to administer the STEM Advisory Council's Broadband Committee in support of the Connect Every Iowan initiative. The goal of the initiative is to connect all corners of the state to the life-enhancing benefits of high-speed Internet. The plan is to position Iowa as the top broadband-connected Midwestern state, ready to support new businesses while providing the highest quality education, workforce, and healthcare services available.

Connect Iowa is a subsidiary of Connected Nation and operates as a nonprofit in the state of Iowa to promote broadband access, adoption, and use. The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) is leading the initiative to increase broadband Internet access throughout rural Iowa. Connect Iowa was commissioned by the state to work with all broadband providers in Iowa to create detailed maps of broadband coverage and develop a statewide plan for the deployment and adoption of broadband.