• August 22, 2000

The Internet ratings report for the month of July 2000 from Nielsen//NetRatings indicates that Internet usage has reached critical mass in the U.S., with 52% of the home population surfing the Web in July. Nearly 144 million people in the U.S. had access to the Internet from home, compared to 106.3 million a year ago in July 1999, a growth rate of 35% over the past year.

"Lower prices for personal computers and competitive rates for high-speed Internet access has increased the demand for Internet use," said Sean Kaldor, vice president of e-commerce, NetRatings. "Internet access is growing dramatically each day due to cheaper access, making it possible for the mainstream consumer to log on."

U.S. Internet users spent nearly ten hours a month online, an increase of 26% over the past year. Page views have doubled over the past year from 353 to 709 page views per month. Unique sites, however, have declined from 12 unique sites visited in July 1999 to 10 unique sites visited in July 2000.

"While Web usage has increased, the number of sites people visit has dropped in the past year. This means that the barrier to entry is higher for new Internet ventures as companies vie for surfers' attention," said Kaldor.