Verizon Strikes Up the Broadband Subscribers

Verizon (VZ Quote) came come out swinging in the broadband wars last quarter.

Industry watchers say Verizon's recent $15-a-month DSL offer helped convince more than 600,000 people to hang up their dial-up connections in favor of faster Net access in the fourth quarter.

If the early numbers are true, Verizon will have far surpassed Wall Street expectations of more than 300,000 new users. The company posted broadband subscriber growth of 389,000 users the previous quarter. And depending on how well AT&T (T Quote) did in the fourth quarter, Verizon may have edged out the former SBC for the top spot in broadband growth, even outpacing cable giants like Comcast (CMCSA Quote) and Time Warner (TWX Quote).

The sudden spark on the broadband side is a welcome sign for Verizon watchers who have been worried that the phone giant was squandering billions of dollars on a dicey consumer service gamble. ...