Americans Opt for E-Work; New Poll Finds Many Wish to Put the Brakes on Commuting.

Business Editors

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 18, 2002

Given a choice between working from home and additional pay, a significant percentage of Americans would say good-bye to their daily commute.

A new survey and white paper released today find that e-work, sometimes referred to as "telecommuting," is widely recognized by most adults as a fast track to a better life.

The Positively Broadband Campaign sponsored the poll and included its findings in a new white paper titled, "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere: The Changing Face of Work." The white paper is the first comprehensive look at how broadband has the potential to unlock the power of e-work-and vice versa.

"Until it fits the way we live, work and play, broadband is little more than bland-land," said Harris N. Miller, President of the Information Technology Association of America and a leading spokesman for the campaign. "Almost 20 percent of Americans spending an hour or more commuting every day, and I would suspect that virtually everyone who does so is sick of it. That is why we think e-work is one of the applications with the power to catapult broadband to the next level."

At the same time, Miller said broadband stands to make e-work a more realistic option for employers and employees alike. "Studies show the frustration of slow speed network connections is one of the biggest show stoppers to widespread adoption of e-work. If employers feel that their employees are losing productivity at home, they will shun this option. The good news is that high speed Internet access is now widely available. Putting broadband and e-work together is a winning combination."

Among the most important survey findings:

-- A majority of Americans (54 percent) think that telecommuting would improve the quality of their lives. Among those that commute an hour or more a day, this view jumped to 66 percent.

-- Many Americans believe that being able to telecommute would provide more time to be a better parent or spouse. Forty-three percent of respondents indicated that they would be a better spouse or parent if they were able to telecommute.

-- Among those who commute, about one-third would prefer the option of telecommuting over a higher salary. Additionally, a significant portion of the population (46 percent) thought their quality of work would improve if they were able to telecommute.

-- Americans do have concerns about e-work, but the study shows that even these can be overcome. Twenty percent of respondents feared that they would not have enough contact with their fellow workers. However, 60% of those with this concern said they would be more likely to telecommute if, through technology, they could have immediate face to face contact. In addition to the survey findings, the white paper explores the issues involved in using broadband as the springboard to a more robust e-work program. While dial-up networking from home or the road is largely a means of web-surfing and reading e-mail, broadband connectivity opens the door to large-scale file-sharing, working in collaborative teams, videoconferencing, webcasting and other applications that make physical location irrelevant to getting the job done.

While many organizations view e-work as a low cost employee benefit, the reality is that moving in this direction does require a significant management commitment. The white paper examines the issues involved in deploying a broadband enabled e-work program, including technical support, security, productivity, and other topics.

"Siemens believes in the positive business value of teleworking and enabling technology like broadband access only hastens the rapid adoptions of the freedom to work anywhere," said Tim Perez, senior group manager, marketing.

A copy of the survey results and new white paper are available on the web at www.positivelybroadband.org. The survey, conducted by the Winston Group, polled 1000 registered voters in April, 2002. Margin of error was +/- 3.1%.

The Positively Broadband campaign is a coalition of companies and trade associations committed to fostering demand for broadband services. Companies and organizations supporting the campaign include AMS, AT&T, Best Buy, CapNet, CompTIA, Corning, Dell Computer, Educause, Information Technology Association of America, Kodak, and Siemens.