Number of Broadband Users Quadruples

The number of users of high-speed Internet access, or broadband, has quadrupled in two years, and the transmission speed is encouraging people to search the Web more often.

The United States had 24 million broadband users as of May, up from 6 million in June 2000, according to a study by the Pew Charitable Trust. That’s prompting companies such as Verizon Communications Inc. to upgrade networks to provide high-speed Internet access, which is more expensive than dial-up connections.

Broadband access was the most important factor in determining how much time people spent on the Internet, the study found. Though 43% of people with broadband access logged on to the Internet several times a day, only 19% of dial-up users did so.