FCC: High-Speed ‘Net Connections Growing

High-speed connections to the Internet increased 20% during the second half of 2003 for a total of 28 million lines in service. That’s according to the FCC in summary statistics of high-speed Internet connections.
In this case, the agency defines high-speed lines as those that provide services at speeds faster than 200 kilobits per second in at least one direction, while advanced services lines are those that provide services at speeds exceeding 200 kbps in both directions.
Report highlights:
– High-speed lines connecting homes and businesses to the Internet increased by 20% during the second half of 2003, from 23.5 million to 28.2 million lines, compared to a 18% increase, from 19.9 million to 23.5 million lines, during the first half of 2003. For the full twelve month period ending December 31, 2003, high-speed lines increased by 42%.
– Of the 28.2 million high-speed lines in service, 26 million served residential and small business subscribers, a 26% increase from the 20.6 million residential and small business high-speed lines reported six months earlier.
– Of the 28.2 million high-speed lines, 20.3 million provided advanced services, i.e., services at speeds exceeding 200 kbps in both directions. Advanced services lines increased 25% during the second half of 2003, from 16.3 million to 20.3 million lines.
– DSL lines increased by 20% during the last six months of 2003, compared to a 28% increase for cable modem service.