Earlier this month we noted how the press seems enamored with the idea that the recession is driving people back to dial-up, even if they lack a shred of data to support the idea. The articles (be they from the Associated Press, Tampa Tribune or Chicago Tribune, who love the idea so much they ran the same article twice) all start with the sad tale of some poor Joe or Jane who has decided to slum it on 56kbps because his or her retirement fund tanked.

They go on to infer a broader trend is afoot, despite quoting analysts in their own pieces who insist this isn’t the case. Many of the stories also quote Earthlink’s Kevin Brand, who gets the opportunity to pitch sluggish, frequently unreliable dial-up to the nation’s cheapskates and masochists. It could just be a coincidence, but the articles all arrived around the time Earthlink began using the recession to advertise a .95/month dial-up “recession special.” From the Tampa Tribune:

From the Associated Press:

The problem is that while budgets are tight and broadband additions are slow due to the housing bubble, broadband is still growing (5.4 million new broadband subscribers last year). Not only are people not canceling broadband, very few are canceling TV service — despite free Internet alternatives and bi-annual TV rate hikes for many. And of course as Ars Technica notes, the savings isn’t really all the great anyway, especially considering (which Ars doesn’t) you still need an expensive landline (or two, if you want to actually use the phone).

We’re never going back. You can’t make us.
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