HALF OF U.S. POPULATION NOW HAS INTERNET AT HOME.(Tech)

For the first time, more than half of the U.S. population can access the World Wide Web at home, according to new data that underscore how central the Internet has become to the daily lives of most Americans.

Fifty-two percent of the population had home Internet access in July, according to Nielsen NetRatings, an audience measurement service.

The number of people with home access rose 35 percent during the past year, from 106.3 million in July 1999 to 144 million last month. But only 88.2 million, about 61 percent, of Americans with access actually surfed online.

Falling personal-computer prices and competitive rates for high-speed Internet access are driving demand for Internet access, said Sean Kaldor, NetRatings Inc.'s vice president of e-commerce.

The average user spent 9 hours 41 minutes online in July 2000, a 26 percent increase from July 1999 when users spent an average of 7 hours 39 minutes online.

And while average page views per month doubled over the past year, from 353 to 709, the average number of sites that users visited declined from 12 to 10 in the same period.

``This means the barrier to entry is higher for new Internet ventures as companies vie for surfers' attention,'' Kaldor said. ``This underscores the power of branding online, as companies like Amazon.com have effectively leveraged their brand to amass a captive and loyal audience.''

Forbes names Guild.com a `Best of the Web'

Forbes magazine has named Madison-based online art dealer Guild.com as ``Bestof the Web'' in the fine art category in its ``Best of the Web'' fall edition.

The issue, which includes 300 ranked Web sites in 45 categories, went on sale at newsstands today. The rankings also are available at www.forbesbest.com, along with an additional 2,000 Web site reviews.

This is Guild.com's second honor from Forbes in the past six months. Guild.com also has been honored by BusinessWeek, Time and the Wall Street Journal.

Jerry Lewis telethon gets Web enhancements

After making cyber history last year with the world's first live multilingualWebcast, the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon is again breaking new ground as the world's first ``Web-enhanced Telethon'' this year.

MDA has partnered with Real Networks to allow the show to be viewed online, and to let users access up-to-the-minute information and even ask questions via the Internet. Some questions will be answered on the show.

The Sept. 3-4 telethon can be accessed at www.mdausa.org.

Now U.S. Cellular adds national flat-rate plan

U.S. Cellular has joined many of its competitors in offering national flat-rate calling plans without roaming or long-distance charges.

The monthly plans range from $30 for 100 minutes to $150 for 1,500 minutes. Additional minutes over a plan cost 25 cents to 40 cents, depending on the plan.

Each package will offer call waiting, caller ID, call forwarding, three-way calling and other features.