Broadband on a Tear
According to the FCC (reported by CNET), broadband (BB) grew in all 50 U.S. states and was up overall by 34 percent in 2004.
Here's why BB will continue to gain:
- Government initiatives (e.g., municipal free access)
- Price competition
- WiMax (which can spread it to rural areas w/o infrastructure)
- Social pressure (can't watch Live 8 on AOL w/o a high-speed connection)
- Workplace penetration driving home adoption
- The next generation
These factors will push high-speed Internet access to near ubiquity (and with it the consumer behaviors we've been tracking). The only question is how rapidly.
During Bush€™s tenure, the U.S. has declined from 4th to 13th place in global rankings of broadband Internet usage. Thus the issue will soon take on an competitive economic imperative.
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Related:
Google investing in high-speed access over power lines.