(March 19, 2004) -- If you read LBReport.com from home, you are one of over 200 million Americans who have internet access where you live...and you're part of a revolution in American media.

The number of Americans who have internet access from home has now exceeded 200 million -- nearly 3/4 of the U.S. population -- says Nielsen//NetRatings which conducts Internet audience measurement and analysis.

The firm says 204.3 Americans -- nearly 75% of the U.S. population -- can now access the internet from home.

"In just a handful of years, online access has managed to gain the type of traction that took other media decades to achieve," said Kenneth Cassar, director of strategic analysis for Nielsen//NetRatings in a written release.

The firm defines total U.S. persons as the number of people aged 2 and over living in households equipped with a fixed line phone based on 2004 projections derived from the 2000 Census. Internet access was defined as the percentage of that population who have home Internet access, though not necessarily logging online during a specific timeframe.

Nielsen//NetRatings said women represent a higher proportion of Web surfers, with 82% or 34.6 million women between the ages of 35-54 accessing the Internet at home. For men aged 35-54, the figure was 80%.

The firm said 77% of women in the 25-34 age group are Web surfers, and 75.6% of men in that age group have Internet access.