DSL Leading Broadband Growth in U.S.

As the price of broadband falls, the middle class is increasingly turning to broadband. Faster adoption of high-speed Internet is being fueled by more competitive pricing plans, a study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project said Monday.

42 percent of Americans now have high-speed Internet, up 12 percent from last year. Adoption among those making under $30,000 a year increased 40 percent, and 59 percent for those making between $30,000 and $50,000 a year.

Pricing was mentioned as one of the main drivers. 18 months ago, DSL and cable cost roughly the same. However as of December, DSL cost an average of $32, some $9 less than cable. Other surveys have suggested that overall consumers are choosing DSL at faster rates than its competitor.

Furthermore, Pew found that less affluent Internet users are slightly more likely to contribute to user-generated content, the first time that had happened in the history of the survey. In 2002, when the question was first asked, only a small percentage of affluent broadband users were responsible for the then nascent trend.

"Today, broadband users living in households earning under $50,000 in annual household income are slightly more likely than those in higher-income homes to say they put content online - by a 46% to 41% margin," Pew said in the report.

Pew surveyed 4,001 adults by phone, and the study has a margin of error of up to two percentage points.