How Broadband Competition is Really Technology Competition

How Broadband Competition is Really Technology Competition

On NCTA.com’s Broadband By the Numbers page, we show that 88 percent of Americans have access to at least two wired Internet service providers and 98 percent have access to at least two mobile wireless providers. Not to mention 97 percent have access to at least three mobile providers. These are impressive stats, but only tell part of the story.

BroadbandCompetition

If we look a bit closer, we also see technological diversity between those home broadband competitors. According to NTIA58 percent of U.S. households have access to at least 10 Mbps DSL. Another 27 percent have access to those speeds from fixed wireless service and 25 percent from fiber. Additionally, 24 percent of households have access to 25 Mbps via fiber, 17 percent via DSL, and 14 percent via fixed wireless. So not only do 88 percent of Americans have access to at least two wired Internet service providers, consumers often have a choice among a range of technology platforms.

This is particularly important when we look to the future of high-speed broadband in America. As our Internet needs increase, we need to incentivize the development of more technologies -newer, faster technologies. Turning broadband into a utility as the FCC has done increases the chances that it won’t ever change – that broadband technology is done evolving. Obviously that’s not the case – both today and in the future.