Press Release

The results of the fifth edition of the Survey on the Adoption of Broadband Technology in Companies in Puerto Rico are available

76% of businesses make sales or receive payments through online transactions.

76% of businesses make sales or receive payments through online transactions, the main sector in this regard being wholesalers and warehousing businesses, of which 86% carry out transactions through these means. This is based on data published in the fifth edition of the Puerto Rico Business Broadband Technology Adoption Survey (2019); this survey was conducted by the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) in collaboration with the non-profit organization Connect Puerto Rico. This product includes statistics related to the availability, access and use of information technologies and broadband Internet in companies in Puerto Rico. The data were obtained through telephone surveys conducted with nearly 800 local companies.

“Having data, such as those provided by this type of survey, helps to know the availability and limitations of access to this technology in the economic sector. In the same way, it allows us to know the indicators on electronic commerce in Puerto Rico,” said Francisco Pesante, Assistant for Statistical Projects at the Institute.

From the 2019 edition of the Survey on the Adoption of Broadband Technology in Companies in Puerto Rico, the following findings are highlighted:

• 93% of the companies surveyed reported using the Internet for their operations.
• 99% of establishments dedicated to the financial and professional services sector reported using the Internet for their operations.
• 87% of establishments reported using broadband Internet to conduct their businesses.
• 77% of the establishments surveyed reported that their bandwidth is adequate to meet their needs.
• 70% of retail establishments reported using social networks such as Facebook or Twitter.
• The main activities of commercial establishments, in which the use of the Internet is involved, are:
  • Communicate with your customers (76%)
  • Billing and collection (73%)
  • Purchases of goods and services (71%)

• 47% of the establishments surveyed are owned by a woman or a woman is one of the owners, if there are co-owners.

The acting executive director of the Institute of Statistics, Dr. Orville M. Disdier said that “At the Institute of Statistics, we are pleased to collaborate in the collection of data that serve as indicators for economic sectors. According to our vision, we work to guarantee Puerto Rico that it has complete, reliable statistics, and quick and universal access.”

Some of the findings of the report are summarized in the visualization accessible through the following link: https://tabsoft.co/32ZXdM3.

For more information about this survey, as well as previous surveys, interested individuals can access: https://cutt.ly/ieue8ZY. To learn about the data sets you can visit: https://cutt.ly/Neue4hy.

To learn more about the Institute of Statistics, you can access the website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. On social media through Facebook accounts (@statistics.pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico).

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Contacts:

Idia M. Martinez, R-28

787-603-3200

Lourdes Burgos, R-27

787-562-2932

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PRESS RELEASE

DR. MARIO MARAZZI‐SANTIAGO

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

U.S. Energy Information Administration includes electricity generation data in PR

This makes it possible to individually access data from each ESA generating plant, among others.

San Juan, PR, July 12, 2018 — For the first time, data on each generating unit in Puerto Rico are accessible and have been included in the inventory of U.S. Energy Information Administration (LIA) which means a great achievement for the transparency of related information by the Electric Power Authority (EEA) and other energy companies in Puerto Rico.

This was confirmed by the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute), representative of the Government of Puerto Rico to the EIA and which has been working for several years to integrate data from Puerto Rico into the statistical inventory of that federal entity. The EIA conducts several annual and monthly surveys of companies and entities that work in the energy industry in the United States, including the electricity sector. They allow us to know in a more timely manner the evolution of Puerto Rico's energy system.

In the case of Puerto Rico, previously it only conducted an annual survey of companies and entities in this sector. Since 2014, thanks to the coordination and initiative of the Institute, the ESA began to take part and participate in monthly electricity sector surveys that allow us to perceive short-term changes in consumption and in the price paid for electricity in Puerto Rico. Now, data is added that allows us to geographically visualize where the generating plants have been located and how much each one generates, among other details. Previously, information could only be accessed globally.

The executive director of the Institute, Dr. Mario Marazzi-Santiago, stressed the importance of continuing to add ESA statistics to the monthly surveys carried out by the EIA, since they allow us to evaluate sales, consumption and price more frequently, among other important aspects. “This is another great achievement for the transparency that our government aspires to, in every area. We will have monthly indicators of the operational status of each generating unit, which can only benefit Puerto Rico, just as the Government has announced a plan to profoundly transform the Electric Power Authority,” said the Executive Director of the Institute.

The data can be accessed through the Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory. It can be seen that before 1958 all the plants were hydroelectric. While with few exceptions, those that were built and started operations between 1958 and 2009 run on oil and are still in operation. Renewable energy sources, including solar and wind, were added in 2011. After Hurricane Maria, which hit Puerto Rico in September 2017, most of the plants are operating. Some wind and solar plants have not yet been able to resume operations, but they hope to be able to do so this year.

By law, the Institute represents the Government of Puerto Rico before the EIA. In 2013, the Institute recommended that the EIA include ESA in its monthly survey. By 2014, the fruits of this initiative began to be seen with the inclusion of Puerto Rico in one of the monthly surveys. From then on, the working sessions between the EIA and the ESA were achieved, which has allowed the above-mentioned achievements.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity responsible for coordinating the Government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and have quick and universal access. The Institute has in its inventory, accessible through www.estadisticas.pr.gov, about 300 statistical products. In addition, it is a custodian and provides access to over 100 data sets or “data sets” through www.data.pr.gov and to over 40 tables and more than 6 thousand indicators through: www.indicadores.pr.

In addition, as the leading entity of the State Data Center (SDC) of Puerto Rico, the Institute manages the SDC portal, which contains the main statistical reports and publications of the U.S. Census Bureau on Puerto Rico, specifically those that are most in demand, such as annual population estimates; the Puerto Rico Community Survey (Puerto Rico Community Survey) and official statistics on Puerto Rico's 10-year population and housing censuses, among others. The Puerto Rico SDC portal can be accessed through: https://censo.estadisticas.pr/.

For more information you can visit our website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. In addition, you can follow us on social networks through Facebook accounts (statistics.pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico).

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Press Contact: Sandra Morales Blanes/(787) 688-0401

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Institute of Puerto Rican Culture joins Puerto Rico's Financial Transparency System to hold citizens accountable for their income and expenses

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