Some 8.2 million U.S. households signed up for high-speed internet access in 2004, bringing the total number of U.S. households with broadband to 31.9 million - a 35 percent year-over-year increase - according to Jupiter Research, reports MediaPost. Jupiter predicted that up to 69 million households - 78 percent of U.S. online homes - would have broadband by 2010 if providers continue to lower their prices.

In total, about 43 percent of online households in the United States were connected via broadband in 2004. Comcast market share was the largest - 22 percent. SBC-Yahoo was second with 13 percent. Time Warner accounted for 12 percent, and Verizon 10 percent.

Cable companies account for 63 percent of the market and were responsible for more than half of the 2004 growth, providing 4.4 million of the new broadband households with high-speed service. The remaining 3.7 million new broadband households connected via DSL, which accounts for roughly 35 percent of the market.