Broadband adoption slows down

NEW YORK (AP) — The adoption of high-speed Internet service in homes has slowed to a crawl this year after a decade of rapid growth, according to two new studies. And it looks as if broadband is going to be a tough sell for those who don't already have it.

The Pew Internet & American Life Project said 66 percent of U.S. adults now use broadband at home, up from 63 percent last year. The difference is not statistically significant.

Leichtman Research Group issued a separate report that said cable TV and phone companies added a net 336,000 broadband subscribers in the April-June period, fewer than in any quarter in the last nine years. Phone companies lost a net 7,500 subscribers — a first. Cable TV companies accounted for the growth.

Leichtman's research was based on earnings statements reported by the major phone and cable companies for the second quarter, while Pew conducted a phone survey of 2,252 people in April and May. Both reports came out today.