Internet use triples in decade; broadband surges

6-5-2009 Global:

It's official: The Internet is a part of daily life.
According to a new report by the Census Bureau, Internet use tripled from 1997 to 2007.

Sixty-two percent of U.S. households used the Internet from home; 18% did that in 1997.

Among those using the Internet in 2007, 82% did so using a high-speed connection. Just 17% used dial-up.

The rapid rise of broadband shows how quickly a ubiquitous technology like dial-up, which ruled the online world in the 1990s, can become outmoded, says Morton O'Kelly, chairman of Ohio State University's department of geography.

Other findings:

•Mississippi and West Virginia had some of the lowest rates of Internet use in 2007 — around 52%. Alaska and New Hampshire, where people live in a handful of cities, were among the highest, 76.1% and 74.6%, respectively.

•For individuals 25 and older with a bachelor's degree, 87% used the Internet.

Those without a high school diploma: 19%.

•69% of whites lived in a home with Internet use; so did 73% of Asians, 51% of blacks and 48% of Hispanics. ..Source.. by Leslie Cauley, USA TODAY