In 2008 Google employed fewer than 20,000 or less than four percent of the number employed by AT&T, Verizon, and Qwest or about 1/5 of the employment of Comcast alone.

The FCC reports that there are nearly 1,400 different broadband providers across the U.S., up from just 105 in 1999.

The top cable broadband providers have a 55% share of the overall market, with a 6.2 million subscriber advantage over the top telephone companies.

Overall, broadband additions in 1Q 2009 amounted to 73% of those in 1Q 2008 – with cable having 70% as many additions as a year ago, and Telcos 77%.

Competition from DBS and Telcos resulted in a loss of over 850,000 video subscribers for the cable industry in 2008.

The FCC Survey ‘Bringing Broadband to Rural America,” cites a 2008 Pew Broadband Adoption Study which found that between 57 to 60 percent of urban/suburban consumers have broadband, compared to 38 percent of rural residents.

With a penetration rate of 60%, broadband’s growth has slowed to 8% this year from double digits last year, with telcos owning a 44% share to cable’s 63%.