Report: One-Fifth of U.S. Now Has Broadband; 40% Projected by 2008

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 30, 2004 - 2:10am.

New York -- Jupiter Research reports that as of the end of 2003, 21.5 million households, or about one-fifth of U.S. households, connected to the Internet via broadband. The firm predicts that by 2008, 46 million households -- representing half of online households and 40% of all U.S. households, will have a broadband connection. "The telcos and cable operators halfheartedly competed for broadband customers in the past," said Jupiter Research senior analyst Joe Laszlo. "2003 was the first year we saw coherent competitive messages in the market: DSL's story was about low cost, while cable modem services were about faster connection speeds." The firm said that continued growth of online video, music and game offerings in 2004 will increase broadband's appeal, but warns that providers must focus on reducing prices to truly spur demand.
http://www.internet.com/corporate/releases/04.01.29-newjupresearch.html