BROADBAND STATS: Reuters runs the

BROADBAND STATS: Reuters runs the numbers:

PALO ALTO, Calif. (Reuters) – Internet users are showing more willingness to pay for a high-speed broadband Internet connection, although large numbers remain happy with dial-up, a survey being released on Tuesday said.

Jupiter Media Metrix, which calculates just 16 percent of U.S. households currently have a broadband Internet connection, said that 8.6 percent of the country’s dial-up subscribers say they are highly likely to sign up for such a service in the next year.

The survey found that an additional 15.4 percent of households were “somewhat interested” in getting broadband within the next year.

The remaining 76 percent of households were either neutral to the notion of paying for a higher speed Internet connection, or were decidedly uninterested.

I didn’t realize the numbers were as high as they were. 16% of the country on broadband is a helluva base, and hopefully, as speeds increase, and killer apps grow, that number will continue to grow.