Teleworking is now being recognised as potentially one of the most powerful “green “solutions for the US. Several factors are coming together to promote teleworking as the antidote to the culture of the five ton, 10 mile per gallon SUV. One of chief catalysts is broadband penetration and the corresponding consumer acceptance of all things Internet.
According to a study by the research company In-Stat, broadband is becoming "a mainstream, must- have residential service, evolving from a leading-edge service to a standard offering with mass adoption."
Elsewhere, the Leichtman Research Group also reports that 53 per cent of all US households now subscribe to a broadband high-speed Internet service at home. It seems that broadband services now accounts for about 72 per cent of all home Internet subscriptions, compared to 60 per cent last year. Not surprisingly, broadband penetration continues to be tightly correlated to household income: 68 per cent of all households with annual incomes over US$50,000 now have broadband, compared to 59 per cent last year while 39 per cent of all households with annual incomes under $50,000 now have broadband, compared to 27 per cent in 2006.
By the same token, the US Department of Energy projects the number of telecommuters will reach 29.1 million by 2010, thus accounting for
27.4 per cent of the US workforce. This translates into a projected savings of 300 million litres of fuel worth more than $100 million.
Furthermore, savings in the time telecommuters would normally spend en route to and from a workplace would result in four million extra workdays becoming available each and every week, resulting in a $300 billion dollar windfall for the American economy.
Positive numbers like these are reflected in the increasing efforts being made in the US to promote teleworking as an important greenalternative to the daily slog to work and back.
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