The number of U.S. broadband subscribers has tripled in recent years, according to an FCC report.

The report also says that the number of users of broadband services (speeds exceeding 200 kbps in both directions) soared to 28 million in December 2003 from 9.6 million in 2001.

Forty-three percent of Internet-enabled households will have high-speed connections by the end of this year, according to IDC, up from 36 percent in 2003. Worldwide, the percentage will grow to 45 percent from 40 percent.