Europe says its broadband internet penetration beats U.S.
August 6, 2009
A report released by the European Commission says that broadband internet penetration in the 27 nations of the European Union is highest in the world, based on the percentage of homes and businesses with landline high speed internet.
The report said Europe has a lead of three percentage points over the United States, with 23 percent of homes and business using fixed-line broadband, compared with 20 percent in the United States, the new York Times reported.
But based on another measure in the report - home broadband internet access - it's not clear why Europe is saying it beats the U.S. The report said 60 percent of European households had access to the internet.
An April 2009 survey by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project shows 63 percent of adult Americans now have broadband internet connections at home.
Whether or not Europe has a narrow lead in home broadband access, Americans are increasingly going online via mobile broadband.
Pew reported that about 56 percent of adult Americans have accessed mobile broadband internet by a laptop or a handheld device. One of the biggest users of mobile broadband as a group - African Americans - tends to have a lower rate of broadband internet connections at home.
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