From the Pew Internet Report:

Non-broadband users cite a number of reasons for not using the service – including availability, price, and lack of interest.

􀂄 62% of dial-up users say they are not interested in giving up their current connection for broadband.

When asked specifically what it would take them to get them to switch to broadband:

􀂄 35% of dial-up users say that the price of broadband service would have to fall.

􀂄 19% of dial-up users said nothing would convince them to get broadband.

􀂄 14% of dial-up users – and 24% of dial-up users in rural America – say that broadband service would have to become available where they live.

Attitudes about the relevance of information technology also shape the broadband decision for dial-up users, separate and apart from issues such as the price of service. Dial-up users are about half as likely as broadband users to say that information technology helps their personal productivity.

􀂄 When asked if they think electronic devices make them more productive, 35% of broadband users strongly agreed that it did compared with 19% of dial-up users.

Non-internet users represent a large pool of potential broadband users, but many are just not interested in getting online.

Roughly one-quarter (27%) of adult Americans are not internet users, and they tend to be older (the median age is 61) and have lower-incomes than online users (non-internet users are more than twice as likely as users to live in low-income households). Some 18% of non-internet users have used the internet in the past, but just 10% of non-internet users say they would be interested in joining the ranks of online users.

When asked why they don’t use the internet:

􀂄 33% of non-users say they are not interested.

􀂄 12% say they don’t have access.

􀂄 9% say it is too difficult or frustrating.

􀂄 7% say it is too expensive.

􀂄 7% say it is a waste of time.

Information like this is important when discussing huge new government programs to bring internet access to everybody. Sometimes, just sometimes, people don't have something because they don't want it.