Over the past two years broadband has experienced the most significant growth in rural areas, according to a new study from comScore.
Rural markets (defined as having a population less than 10,000) in the U.S. saw a 16-percentage point increase in broadband penetration from Q2 2007 to Q2 2009, making it the fastest growing geographic market segment in the nation. In comparison micropolitan areas (population between 10,000-50,000) grew 14 percentage points during the same time, while metropolitan areas (population 50,000+) grew 11 percentage points.
"Across the country we have witnessed growth in broadband adoption driven by greater price competition and increased consumer demand, as bandwidth-intense activities like video streaming and peer-to-peer sharing continue to grow," said Brian Jurutka, vice president of telecommunications at comScore.
"With low-speed DSL priced at about the same level as dial-up in many areas, there is little incentive for households to remain on dial-up."
While rural markets have experienced significant growth, their broadband penetration of 75 percent remains below the national average of 89 percent.
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