IHT has a story about how the US has hit the watershed “majority broadband” point. US Leans to Broadband

As recently as six months ago, a majority of Americans were using dial-up connections at home. In the first quarter of this year, broadband connections for the first time overtook dial-up.

This is significant, I think, not just because of the types of services and speed that are available, which seems to be the focus of the article. But because of what might happen when a majority of people on the internet fundamentally change the way they connect to it, from a temporary “phone call” paradigm to a “permanent resident” paradigm.
There’s a big difference between dialing in to access something as a remote service and having it always there, always available. And it’s not like having cable TV always available — because that’s just broadcast content. The Internet is a place that’s always moving, always changing and evolving. A planet unto itself. Having a broadband feed means you’ve moved from being a frequent visitor to a neighborhood to having a lot and house on one of its thoroughfares.