Nearly six of 10 American homes have Internet access, with more than one-fifth of them making that link through broadband connections. By 2005, nearly one-third of American households will have broadband access, according to market-intelligence firm eMarketer, in a report entitled "Broadband Worldwide" issued Wednesday.

In the report, eMarketer estimates broadband households worldwide will grow to 154 million in 2005 from 57 million in 2002--a compound annual growth rate of 39%.

"If that isn't a big enough audience to sustain an innovative online content sector, I don't know what is," eMarketer senior analyst Ben Macklin said in a statement accompanying announcement of the report. So, eMarketer asks, where's all the broadband content? "Still gun-shy from the dot-com crash and continuing economic uncertainty, telecom, media, and marketing companies are understandably hesitant to fully embrace the broadband concept," Macklin said. "The countries and companies that realize the full potential of widespread broadband will surge ahead in the next decade."