FCC report shows little Internet competition at higher speeds

The FCC released its latest Internet access report, which details the state of broadband access across the country as of the end of 2016. The report finds that the total number of Internet connections increased by 6 percent between Dec. 2015 and Dec. 2016. As of this report, there are 376 million Internet connections.

The report found that the average speed for all residential fixed connections across the country is 50 Mbps downstream and 5 Mbps.  Only 62 percent of residential fixed connections meet the FCC’s broadband speed standard of 25/3 Mbps, while 81 percent of residential fixed connections meet the FCC’s former standard of 10/1 Mbps.

The report also found there’s a significant lack of competition for higher speed service across the country. According to the FCC, 43 percent of the country has no competition for 25/3 Mbps service and 85 percent of the country has no competition for 100/10 Mbps service. This lack of competition prevents companies from upgrading their networks to increase provided speeds and attract customers.

Read the full report here.

Link:

Internet Access Services: Status as of Dec. 31, 2016 (FCC, Feb. 2018)