A new report from Leichtman Research shows that demand for broadband services has been surging as the overall economy improves. Broadband growth was steady even during the lowest point of the economic downtown, further emphasizing the role of high-speed Internet access when it comes to creating jobs, improving education and staying connected. In the last quarter alone, major broadband providers added more than 1.4 million new subscribers. Some other statistics from the new report:

- Top cable companies added over 915,000 subscribers. This was the best quarter for the cable industry since the first quarter of 2008.

- Top telephone companies added over 502,000 subscribers.

- Top cable companies now have a total of 40.2 million broadband subscribers, while phone companies have about 32.9 million subscribers.

Read more about the growing demand for broadband here.