U.S. broadband composition reaches 72% @ home.

Nielsen//NetRatings announced that nearly three-quarters of U.S. active Web users connected at home via broadband in May, growing 15 percentage points over a year ago, when just 57 percent of active Web users relied on broadband connections at home. Research also indicates that broadband users are more likely to make better use of Internet functionalities and newer technologies, such as RSS feeds and blogging.

“Although we are not seeing the explosive month-over-month growth we once were, the market for broadband Internet connection has not yet reached saturation,” said Jon Gibs, senior director of media, Nielsen//NetRatings.

“We’re past the point where decreasing prices and increasing availability will move the needle for providers; the remaining consumers will be pushed to broadband as the Internet continues to move beyond text-based information to a comprehensive source for video,” he continued.

Broadband composition remains high in the workplace, with 90 percent saturation in May 2006; a year ago that figure was at 82 percent.

Broadband Users Are Early Adopters

Compared to their narrowband-using counterparts, broadband users are over three times as likely to use RSS (Really Simple Syndication) as a delivery method for their preferred Internet content. They are also more than twice as likely to publish a blog, or build a personal Web page.

“It makes sense that broadband users are more likely to adopt new Internet technologies such as RSS feeds and blogging; their faster connections allow them to make better use of the Web technologies available and to view more Web pages quickly and easily. Now it is up to the Web sites providing RSS feeds to maximize the broadband connection,” continued
Gibs.