Nearly four out of 10 consumers with broadband access (37 percent) look up Web sites related to TV programming, according to report, "It's a Broadband Life," expected to be unveiled today. For the study, Forrester Research surveyed 3,207 U.S. adult consumers online, and researchers from HeadlightVision conducted in-home interviews in 17 households.

The report also revealed that 34 percent of broadband users look up Web sites mentioned on TV ads. Almost one out of five--18 percent--take part in online polls mentioned on television, and 11 percent go online to learn about characters in a show.

Using the Web in this fashion--dubbed "media meshing" by the report--"fulfills a need to become more deeply involved with hobbies, interests or stories that kindle passionate involvement," states the report.

The study also delves into differences in Internet use between those who access via broadband and dial-up; wired broadband now accounts for 50 percent of Internet hits, while dial-up accounts for 43 percent and wireless broadband accounts for 8 percent, according to the report.

One key distinction between broadband and dial-up users is that those who connect via broadband spend an average of 6.2 more hours online each month at home than dial-up users. Broadband users also view an average of 2,330 pages each month at home--almost twice as many pages as the 1,217 views by dial-up users.

"Broadband really transformed users' experiences," said Beth-Ann Eason, vice president-category development at Yahoo! "When you have broadband, you're more likely to pursue a greater depth of knowledge around a particular topic," said Beth-Ann Eason, vice president-category development at Yahoo!

Broadband users are more likely to engage in a wide variety of online activity, including downloading videos, sharing photos, publishing Web pages and participating in online dating, than are dial-up users, according to the report.

Consumers with broadband are also more likely to make online purchases. Sixty-eight percent of respondents with wireless broadband and 49 percent of those with wired broadband report regularly making purchases on the Internet, compared to 38 percent of those on a dial-up connection.

Additionally, consumers who go online via broadband are five times more likely than dial-up users to access more than one type of media simultaneously.

This news story is important. I recommend that everyone read it.