Study: Broadband Use Grows in the U.S.

Study: Broadband Use Grows in the U.S.

The Associated Press

September 28, 2005

NEW YORK - More than 60 percent of Americans who use the Internet at home now do so with a high-speed connection, a new study finds

That's a jump from 51 percent a year ago. Nielsen/NetRatings says 86 million Internet users surfed the Web on home broadband connections in August.

Broadband use has grown steadily in the United States as prices fall and more video and other bandwidth-intent materials are available online.

"This continuing increase in broadband use is an essential step in a maturing Internet industry," said Charles Buchwalter, the research firm's vice president of client analytics. Broadband users tend to spend more time and money online, he said.

Meanwhile in India, an trade group said the country will fall far short of its goal of getting 2 million broadband connections by year's end. The government says there were 530,000 broadband connections at home and work at the end of August.

"With just three months left ... these numbers show we are in a pathetic situation," said Amitabh Singhal, president of the Internet Service Providers Association of India.

He blamed poor service, frequent disruptions and slow speeds, noting that most of the high-speed connections are only nominally broadband and no better than dial-up speeds most of the time.