That means 70.5 million (34.9%) of the 202 million U.S. adults use the Internet, says a survey by Nielsen Media Research and CommerceNet, out today. Almost 80 million in the USA and Canada are on line, up 21 million in nine months.

Only 18 million were on line when Nielsen did its first Internet survey in 1995; that's an increase of 340% in slightly more than three years. And for the first time, more than 50% of those in the crucial 16-to-34-year-old advertising bracket are Internet users.