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THE NEED FOR SPEED, REVISITED
In March 2000, the CyberNews column provided a comparison of the two most popular types of high-speed, or broadband, Internet access: digital subscriber line, or DSL, and cable.

At that time, there were about 6 million Web surfers in the United States going online via broadband access. A little more than two years later, that number has jumped to 24 million, representing 21 percent of all Internet users, according to a recently released report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. This rate of growth is on par with purchasing rates following the introduction of the personal computer and the compact disc player, and it outstrips the speed with which Americans made the transition to color television.

Cable remains the most popular form of broadband access, accounting for 71 percent of all broadband connections vs. 27 percent for DSL and 2 percent for wireless connections such as satellite access, the Pew study found.

Does high-speed access affect the way people use the Internet? According to the Pew report, it most certainly does.

Broadband subscribers are twice as likely to have created online content—launched a Web site, participated in a discussion group—or shared a file as are Internet users who rely on slower dial-up modem connections. They also use the Internet more often to find information related to their jobs, health, hobbies and other topics, according to the report.

In fact, broadband subscribers complete an average of seven tasks online in a typical day, vs. an average of three tasks for users of dial-up modems. What kinds of tasks are they performing? Popular activities include reading news, finding health care information, taking online courses, downloading files, and reading and sending electronic mail. These often replace traditional activities, with significant numbers of broadband users reporting that they spend less time watching television, shopping in stores and reading newspapers since they established high-speed access.

Is it time for you to make the switch to broadband? With Web sites offering ever-richer varieties of content, often with expensive demands on access speed, the day when your dial-up connection becomes unbearably slow may come sooner than you’d like.

As of June 2001, broadband service was available in 78 percent of ZIP codes across the United States, and nearly 60 percent of the nation’s ZIP codes had multiple providers from which to choose, according to figures released by the Federal Communications Commission in February.

If you have a choice between cable and DSL, which should you choose? Obviously, both access methods have their pros and cons. It’s worthwhile to note, though, that a PCWorld magazine survey conducted last year found that 76 percent of cable subscribers were very satisfied with their service, vs. 58 percent of DSL subscribers.

If you’d like to find out more about your broadband options, visit "www.broadbandreports.com". In addition to reading the latest news from the broadband world, you can search for providers in your ZIP code.

Reported by Joe Hoyle, electronic media editor, "hoylej{at}ada.org".

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