Nielsen//NetRatings Finds 42% of U.S. Population with Home Broadband

The number of Americans with broadband access reached 42 percent of the U.S. population in August, increasing 16 percent since the beginning of this year, according to a newly published report from Nielsen//NetRatings.


Nielsen//NetRatings also reported that in August 2005, the percent of active U.S. Internet users connecting online via broadband from home reached an all-time high, at 61.3 percent, compared with 51.4 percent of active Internet users in August last year. (An active Internet user is anyone who went online or downloaded an Internet application during the month.) In August 2005, there were 86.1 million Internet users accessing the Web through high-speed connections, marking a 34 percent gain over 64.1 million during August 2004.


"Although broadband penetration among Internet users has long been on the rise, it was always amid speculation that the high cost of broadband would limit its widespread adoption," said Charles Buchwalter, vice president of client analytics, Nielsen//NetRatings. "However, over the last year, carriers have responded to the growing demand for lower cost broadband, and all indications are that this trend will continue."http://www.netratings.com/