CABLE MODEM SUBSCRIBERS UP, according

CABLE MODEM SUBSCRIBERS UP, according to this Reuters story. “The number of subscribers to high-speed Internet service via cable rose almost 13 percent to 7.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2001, a trade group said on Monday, days before federal regulators begin shaping the framework for what rules apply to the service.”

Consumers have not signed up for high-speed service via traditional telephone lines, known as digital subscriber line (DSL), as quickly. The biggest provider, Verizon Communications , has 1.2 million subscribers while the biggest cable company, AT&T Broadband has 1.5 million cable-modem subscribers.

At the same time, the Federal Communications Commission (news – web sites) is poised on Thursday to classify cable-modem service. Analysts have said they expect it will be deemed an information service, subjecting it to fewer regulations.

As anybody who’s got it can tell you, the day they switched from dial-up to broadband is a day their lives transformed, especially if they’re a telecommuter or self-employed. Can’t wait to see how 802.11 wireless further transforms the Internet experience!