Does your Internet service choice show your age? It just might. In-Stat recently conducted an online survey among 1,013 North American broadband users. The survey found that the age group with the highest use of cable broadband is the 18-29 year old segment with more than 69 percent choosing cable over DSL. That same age group also had the lowest use of DSL broadband.

Compared to last year's results and that of December 2003, this most recent survey indicates a significant rise in cable broadband use for Generation Y. In February 2006, 56.2 percent of them had cable broadband. And in December 2003, 50.8 percent of broadband users age 18-29 used cable broadband.

In-Stat concludes that the 18-29 age group in North America seems to be finding cable broadband more attractive. Cable broadband has historically offered more bandwidth than DSL, and younger subscribers are considered power users who are looking for service that allows them to download the latest music, videos, and online games.

If you need help choosing between cable and DSL, check out the Comparing Cable and DSL High Speed section of the ConnectMyHighSpeed Internet Buyers Guide.

EarthLink and Sana Security recently announced that they will offer a stand-alone, co-branded version of Sana's award-winning Primary Response SafeConnect anti-malware solution directly to EarthLink subscribers. The companies say this tool will provide another layer of protection consumers require to safeguard their computers and identities from the threats posed by Trojans, bots, rootkits and other malware without the need for scanning or signature updates.

Earlier this year the ISP launched the EarthLink Protection Control Center with Attack Shield, which includes Sana's anti-malware technology embedded in the application. This latest offering enables customers who don't subscribe to that service to utilize Sana's security solution along with their other security programs.

"EarthLink has always been a leader in online security, and one of the clear reasons is that we are an early adopter of innovative protection technologies such as Sana's SafeConnect solution," said Jonathan Young, EarthLink's vice president of software, subscriptions and services. "By expanding our toolset of Sana products, we are able to offer our customers a choice in how they want to use this anti-malware technology, whether through our EarthLink Protection Control Center or as a stand alone product to protect their computers and identities."

For more information on the service, check out Sana's press release.

Charter Communications recently announced the launch of www.charter.net, a home page for Charter High-Speed® Internet customers.

The new charter.net offers entertainment features that visitors are enjoying including long-form programming from Nickelodeon like SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents and Drake and Josh among a host of Nick programming. SHOWTIME, HBO and VH1 are also offering some of their most popular programs in full-length and short form. Season premieres of television shows, such as SHOWTIME's Dexter and Weeds and replays of past seasons' episodes such as USA network's Battlestar Galactica are available. VH1's Celebrity Fit Club as well as clips from HBO's Entourage and Flight of the Conchords and programming from Nickelodeon, MTV, IFC Uncut, Comedy Central, FX and HAVOC are also offered on charter.net.

"With the newly redesigned charter.net Web site, customers will find something new and different with each visit, along with the convenience of being able to access their e-mail, the most popular entertainment content, and news from one location," said Himesh Bhise, Vice President & General Manager of High-Speed® Internet for Charter.

According to Mr. Bhise, the redesign of charter.net was undertaken to provide high-speed Internet customers with a convenient home page "that not only provides the basics, such as e-mail with 10GB of storage per household and Google search, but now entertains with premium video content as well. The combination of free and fun entertainment with useful news, Web search and email access maximizes our customers' experience with Charter."

For more information, check out the Charter press release or visit www.charter.net.

Qwest announced recently that it is now the first communications provider in the U.S. to collaborate with Microsoft to offer Qwest Broadband with Windows Live services, a new customizable and intuitive way for customers to enhance their online experiences.

Windows Live contains tools that the companies say will keep customers better informed, connected and protected online. The service, which is available exclusively to new and current residential Qwest Broadband customers, brings customers' online worlds together—in one place, through one interface—and offers the tools to stay connected, plus powerful protection features.

"With the launch of Windows Live, there's never been a better time to be a Qwest Broadband customer," said Dan Yost, Qwest executive vice president of product. "Qwest and Microsoft have worked to bring the best Internet experience possible to customers. With Windows Live from Qwest, Qwest Broadband customers get the information they need, tools to stay connected with the people they care about and powerful protection features—in one easy-to-use platform."

"Microsoft is pleased to have teamed up with Qwest to make customers' online experiences even better," said Steve Berkowitz, senior vice president of the Online Services Group at Microsoft Corp. "Windows Live from Qwest brings the Internet to life for customers with customizable, intuitive and cool features, backed by the strength of the Qwest network and Microsoft design."

Qwest and Microsoft have jointly built Windows Live from Qwest to be the foundation for Qwest's future voice and data convergence.

Windows Live from Qwest is included at no additional charge for new residential Qwest Broadband customers who choose Microsoft as their ISP and whose computers run on the Windows Vista or Windows XP service pack 2 operating systems. Existing residential Qwest Broadband customers may upgrade at no additional charge from MSN® Premium to Windows Live from Qwest.

Read more about Qwest Broadband or find Qwest Broadband plans and prices available in your area.

Verizon FiOS Internet seems to be earning high marks from its Web-savvy users, as the service recently ranked first in PC World's latest 'Best and Worst ISPs Survey' and the service to achieve top ratings in each of the survey's nine categories: overall satisfaction, connection reliability, download speed, upload speed, customer service, technical support, e-mail service, spam blocking, and antivirus/security.

"PC World is one of the most trusted and well-regarded computer magazines in the world, and we're honored that FiOS Internet was ranked No. 1 in its ISP survey," said John Wimsatt, senior vice president for Verizon Telecom Marketing. "Customers appreciate the difference our all-fiber network brings by delivering faster speed, better reliability, more advanced services, and superior entertainment and online experiences."

Verizon FiOS Internet also was recently named in the top five of PC World's 100 Best Products of 2007. The only Internet service to make the prestigious list, Verizon FiOS Internet was ranked fourth on the roster of what the magazine called "the finest products and services of the past 12 months" -- "based on exemplary design, features, performance and innovation."

Read more in the Verizon press release or find out if Verizon FiOS is available through ConnectMyHighSpeed in your area.

Feeling tethered to your high-speed Internet at home? Now you can experience faster speeds plus Wi-Fi access on the go. AT&T recently announced that millions of its customers with higher-speed broadband plans can now receive free access to AT&T's nationwide Wi-Fi network—nearly 10,000 hot spots at popular locations across the country including airports, McDonalds restaurants, Barnes & Noble bookstores, coffee shops and sporting venues.

With the growing popularity of Wi-Fi-enabled devices including laptops, wireless music systems, PDAs, and, of course, the new iPhone, consumers are increasingly looking for on-the-go Internet connections.

Qualifying new and existing residential and small business AT&T broadband customers instantly benefit from the free unlimited Wi-Fi connectivity at company hot spots. Qualifying AT&T broadband packages include: AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet Pro, AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet Elite, FastAccess Xtreme and FastAccess Xtreme 6.0.

"Consumers are increasingly demanding anytime, anywhere connectivity, and AT&T is uniquely able to deliver on their need for mobility, whether it's broadband or wireless services," said Rick Welday, chief marketing officer, AT&T Consumer. "Providing customers with more high speed access in more places also gives us a competitive edge because we're able to offer an on-the-go broadband experience that cable can't match."

Find AT&T High-Speed Internet Plans & Pricing Available in Your Area

Qwest recently announced a proposal that it says would expand the nation's access to high-speed Internet service, while initiating reform of the massive federal telecommunications subsidy known as the Universal Service Fund (USF).

In its proposal to the Federal Communications Commission, Qwest recommended the creation of a program managed by state public utilities commissions for deploying broadband services to Americans in rural areas who lack access to those services today.

"It's been widely acknowledged that every American needs access to broadband but that goal still has not been achieved,"said Steve Davis, Qwest senior vice president of public policy. "Qwest's proposal provides meaningful strides toward the day when high-speed Internet services are available at reasonable prices to all Americans."

Under the proposal, funding for widespread broadband deployment would come from cost savings realized by a change in the wireless telephone subsidy formula to a per-household basis rather than per-user, which is the current practice. The new formula would reduce the cost of that portion of the USF, which currently is $1 billion, by $500 million annually.

"Qwest is proposing a workable, common-sense solution to reform the USF to reduce waste and redirect outdated subsidies," Davis said.

The USF is funded by a surcharge on the bill of every U.S. customer that uses telecommunications services. The surcharge was recently set at nearly 12 percent of the total cost of those services the customer uses.

For more on the proposal, check out the Qwest press release.

In its June 20, 2007 article "Best and Worst ISPs," PC World magazine reported results from a recent survey of 6,400 readers. The survey showed Insight Broadband 10.0 outranks its Kentucky competitors in overall satisfaction as well as both downstream and upstream speeds and scores above-average marks. AT&T scored below-average and Verizon DSL came in as average in the same speed performance categories.

"The PC World survey echoes what our customers now tell us all the time," said Paul Meltzer, senior vice president of product management at Insight. "We've worked hard to make the choice really simple by being the fastest and hands down best Internet service in our markets. It's nice to see that confirmed by an independent source."

Insight rolled out its Insight Broadband 10.0 service last year to all of its Kentucky customers, offering them download speeds up to 10 Megs per second, 1 Gig of e-mail storage per e-mail account and a free Internet Security Package.

Get Insight Broadband 10.0 Service For Your Home