Broadband Penetration Rises By 300 Pct

Some 49 percent of US households using the Internet currently have a broadband connection, according to a report from Scarborough Research. That’s upfrom 12 percent back in 2002, or a rise of  300 percent.   DSL has experienced the greatest rise, of 575 percent, but cable has also enjoyed significant growth. The biggest broadband marketis San Francisco, where 62 percent of adults are in households with broadband connections.   But rather than rest on out laurels, we should look to the future. Broadband has become mainstream,said Gary Meo, senior vice president of digital media services at Scarborough Research. But looking ahead is vital.   "There is obviously an increasing need for more high-speed internetconnectivity as it enables fast and efficient delivery of rich media content. Consumers are clearly demanding more speed in order to upload, download, post and interact with content in a Web 2.0environment."   And not everywhere is up on the cutting edge.   “Despite broadband usage growing into a mainstream phenomenon nationwide, there are still markets that lag thenational average,” noted Meo. “These markets tend to be concentrated in the South and Southwest.”