US average connection speed up, still behind FCC broadband threshold

Akamai Technologies released its Fourth Quarter 2015 State of the Internet Report, which found that the average broadband speed across the United States is 14.2 Mbps, up 29 percent since the fourth quarter of 2015. Data gathered from Akamai’s global “Intelligent Platform” showed that the US ranked 14th in the world in average connection speed.

There were positive signs in the report: all 51 US states (including the District of Columbia) saw increases in average connection speeds since last quarter. Average connection speeds among the top-10  states continued to rise since the last Akamai report, with Rhode Island posting a significant increase of 22 percent. However, none of the top-performing states had average connection speeds reaching the FCC’s 25 Mbps broadband threshold, a reminder more investment is required to increase broadband speeds.

Unsurprisingly, the states with the fastest speeds are those in which fiber networks compete with cable, driving investment in higher speed networks. Read the full report here.

Links:

Fourth Quarter State of the Internet Report (Akamai Technologies, Aug. 2015)

Average US broadband speed 12.6 Mbps, up 4 ranks globally (Speed Matters, Dec. 18, 2015)