Broadband connections continue to rise

The number of businesses and homes with high-speed connections to the Internet grew 27 percent in the first six months of 2002, reaching 16.2 million lines, the Federal Communications Commission reports.

In its semi-annual survey of broadband services, released Dec. 17, the FCC found that 10.4 million of those lines provided advanced services, defined as speeds exceeding 200 kbps in both directions.

Cable modem connections grew 30 percent, reaching 9.2 million lines. Asymmetric DSL connections were up 29 percent, to 5.1 million lines, the FCC said.

Predictably, high-speed connections were most prevalent in wealthier neighborhoods. California has the highest number of broadband connections, followed by New York, Florida and Texas, the FCC said.

Compared to a year earlier, the pace of connections slowed. In the same six months of 2001, the number of subscribers increased 33 percent.

The FCC collects the statistics to monitor and analyze broadband deployment.

Download the report from the FCC