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Broadband overtakes modems in the U.S.

MasterAkumaMatata - Aug 20, 2004

		MasterAkumaMatata	Aug 20, 2004
		According to research published by Nielsen/NetRatings on Wednesday 18 August, in July the number of U.S. internet users with broadband access exceeded the number using a modem for the first time. In the U.S., 63 million people now access the net using broadband, while 61.3 million are using a slower modem connection. The number of broadband connections increased by 47 percent from July 2003 to July 2004, while the number of modem connections declined 13 percent in the same period. For details see http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?stor...&stor... Would someone like to make a poll to confirm the accuracy of this finding?

		Dud	Aug 20, 2004
		Originally posted by MasterAkumaMatata@Aug 20, 2004 @ 02:24 PM Would someone like to make a poll to confirm the accuracy of this finding? Excellent idea!

		MasterAkumaMatata	Aug 20, 2004
		Make sure to specify home usage.

		schi0249	Aug 20, 2004
		That wouldn't surprise me. The dial-up ISPs are reporting decreasing subscriber base.

		Alexvrb	Aug 21, 2004
		Too bad the cost of broadband hasn't really decreased. People are shelling out the cash for it because dialup sucks. But it really would be nice to see some real competition between competing companies and/or technologies.

		schi0249	Aug 21, 2004
		The problem is, there isn't a lot of competition. In most cities, 1 company owns the cable lines and 1 ones the phone lines. Even though you will have multiple providers, they are reselling the owners lines. Since the owners don't have to sell their lines at a discount, it results in higher prices than if their were multiple owners.

		Alexvrb	Aug 21, 2004
		Originally posted by schi0249@Aug 21, 2004 @ 04:13 PM The problem is, there isn't a lot of competition. In most cities, 1 company owns the cable lines and 1 ones the phone lines. Even though you will have multiple providers, they are reselling the owners lines. Since the owners don't have to sell their lines at a discount, it results in higher prices than if their were multiple owners. I know. Many local governments sign contracts with cable companies granting them exclusive access. In the few areas that have multiple operating cable companies, the rates are typically much more competitive. However, I do look forward to future competition driven by services like wireless and BPL.