The breakneck growth of the Internet, which gave birth to the New Economy and vast Wall Street riches, is tapering. It was the first time in 21 years that the number dipped, the group says. Growth in every category slowed.
Different groups measure Internet use differently.
Dwindling free ISPs. A year ago, freebie ISPs were expanding and posing a threat to fee-based services such as America Online. Today, several free ISPs are toast. Late last year, 1stUp.net, FreeLane and others went belly up. It is unclear, however, how many formerly free ISP users are migrating to AOL and others.