Washington state leads nation in households connected to the telephone network
 

July 3, 2007

Washington state leads nation in households connected to the telephone network

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington State leads the nation in the number of households hooked up to the national telephone network according to a recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) report.

More than 98 percent of Washington residents subscribe to basic telephone service – including land-line, wireless and other types of service – an increase of 2.2 percent from a year ago. This compares to the national average of 94.6 percent, up 1.8 percent from a year ago.

Washington has continually ranked in the top 10 states when it comes to the number of households connected to the telephone network. On the other end of the scale, some states ranked as low as 90 percent of the residents equipped with telephones.

“Over the years, state regulators have been diligent in ensuring that basic telephone service is affordable,” said Philip B. Jones, one of three state Utilities and Transportation (UTC) commissioners. “Our state has promoted policies that encourage coverage in rural areas and provide assistance for low-income families to subscribe to services. All of this has contributed to higher telephone penetration.”

The FCC report was conducted by the Census Bureau in its current population survey (CPS) in March 2007 and is available online at: http://www.fcc.gov/wcb/stats.

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