BELLWETHER, Iowa (CNM) -- About 62 percent of American households with Internet access connect through a modem rated at 28.8 kilobits per second or slower, according to a survey released Thursday by the research firm NetMetrics.
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| Home connection speeds, according to the survey |
Only 4 percent have high-speed cable or digital-subscriber-line connections, though the number is growing. "Most people are surfing the Web in a canoe," said NetMetrics analyst Jo Haddad.
The survey found that the average home user spends 14 minutes a week watching a progress bar. Asked what they do while pages load, respondents most often listed "make a sandwich," "check the other phone line" and "sigh."
Cable companies are rushing to wire neighborhoods, but many rural areas are not expected to have high-speed service for years. "We are told it is coming," said one Bellwether resident. "So is the year 2000, and that is on time."
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