J.D. Power: Customers like high-speed broadband more

According to research firm J.D. Power, subscribers who upgrade to faster broadband connections express greater customer satisfaction than those who don’t.

The improvement measureable, although not huge. Overall, Internet customers indicate a 683 out of a thousand level of satisfaction; those who upgrade report a 712 level – a 41 point increase.

Even more interesting, though, is that in general subscribers to Verizon and AT&T high-speed Internet are more satisfied than those with cable. J.D. Power surveyed the country in four geographic regions, and in the South and West, Verizon and AT&T ranked one and two. In the East, Verizon and AT&T were one and three. In North Central, Verizon isn’t in play but AT&T was number two.

The reason customers want higher speeds is simple. “As streaming video grows in popularity,” said Kirk Parsons of J.D. Power, “supporting customer demand for bandwidth and download speeds presents many challenges for the industry.”

Customer Satisfaction Is High among Internet Customers Who Upgrade to Premium Speed Offerings To Boost Performance (J.D. Power news release, Sep. 26, 2013)