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More than 61 percent of Americans who got online in August did so over a high-speed connection.

A recent report from Nielsen//NetRatings shows broadband usage continues to grow. Many more people use broadband, and many more households have broadband access, than they did in August 2004, the company noted in its release.

86.1 million Americans surfed the web in high-speed style in August of this year. Last August, 64.1 million used a broadband connection to get online. The gains come at the expense of "narrowband" dialup connections. AOL and other ISPs have seen dialup subscriptions continue to dwindle.

Much more of the US population has broadband access at home. In August, over 120 million people, or 42 percent of the population, had broadband access where they live. That figure in January was 103 million.

Price competition seems to be the driving factor behind greater broadband adoption, as the report contends in a statement from one of Nielsen//NetRatings' executives:

"Although broadband penetration among Internet users has long been on the rise, it was always amid speculation that the high cost of broadband would limit its widespread adoption," said Charles Buchwalter, vice president of client analytics, Nielsen//NetRatings. "However, over the last year, carriers have responded to the growing demand for lower cost broadband, and all indications are that this trend will continue."

David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. Email him here.