How Cox's Public-Private Partnership in Nevada Helped Connect 100% of Its Students
Looking Back in Order to Move Forward 2020 will long be remembered as the year of distance learning, when schools all over the country closed their doors and pivoted online as the COVID-19 pandemic came to stay. Cable internet service providers (ISPs) got to work quickly and joined with school districts, community organizations, local governments, and businesses to identify unconnected families with school-aged students and to install internet in their homes so that kids could attend school virtually from home. But the ongoing pandemic has shown that broadband connectivity will always be a
Broadband Prices Decreasing Versus Other Goods Despite Wider Inflation Pressures
With the nation’s latest inflation numbers released today, Americans again got a glimpse of pricing pressures that are still plaguing the economy. Consumer demand and continuing supply chain challenges brought on by the pandemic are resulting in rising prices for things such as used cars, fuel and food. But amidst such dark clouds, the market for broadband services remains a bright spot. As the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index in March makes clear, broadband prices are fortunately not mirroring the radical price jumps in other sectors. Put simply, while much of the economy has
Broadband Stats: Connecting Every American
As many Americans spent the last two years conducting many of their daily activities online during the pandemic, a broadband connection is more important than ever before. Recently, the White House announced that 10 million consumers had signed up for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which offers government assistance for the purchase of broadband services and computers. This announcement marks an important milestone for this FCC program, and combined with the low-income plans offered by cable internet service providers, will help ensure that more Americans connect to the internet
A Spotlight on Broadband Adoption
Today’s White House announcement celebrates an important milestone in our country’s efforts to promote broadband adoption and the success of the FCC-administered support program in helping low-income families subscribe and stay connected to the internet. The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) offers government assistance to many families for the purchase of broadband services and computers. And when combined with existing private programs run by cable providers that offer robust internet service for $10 – $20 monthly, many eligible families are even better positioned to subscribe to
Broadband Stats: Internet Prices Are Not Fueling Inflation
For decades, inflation in the United States had remained remarkably stable, spurring economic growth and helping Americans make financial decisions with confidence. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, however, disruptions in the supply chain and labor force, combined with other factors, have resulted in new concerns about rising prices. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the overall inflation rate in the U.S. economy hit 7% from December 2020 to December 2021. But the factors that lead to inflation matter since the price increase of certain goods and services have severely outpaced
Broadband Prices Are Trailing Far Behind Inflation
America has an inflation problem. Consumer demand for goods and services is driving an increase in prices (the definition of inflation) to rates not seen since 1982. In December 2021, price increases for used cars jumped 37%, gasoline skyrocketed nearly 50%, and groceries climbed about 7% relative to December of the previous year. These increases are felt by all Americans. But the price of internet service has remained steady and is not mirroring these radical price spikes. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index (CPI), the cost of internet services increased 2.6% in
Comcast Shares its Approaches to Closing the Digital Divide
America fast approaches its second holiday season with the COVID-19 pandemic still at play, and cable internet service providers (ISPs) continue their work to close the gaps in the digital divide wherever, whenever, and however they can. Leaders in the digital equity space spoke earlier this week at the Family Online Safety Institute's annual conference about the great work that took place to help remedy this situation over the past 20 months, and the work that remains to done to resolve this issue. Nowhere was the digital divide more visibly prominent at the onset of the pandemic than in
As Inflation Rises for Most of the Economy, Internet Prices Decline
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted supply chains and consumers have seen price increases on many goods. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released its Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the month of September which showed that, as compared to September 2020, overall prices for consumers increased 5.4%. However, the real price of internet services fell 2.6% in September as compared to last year. In other words, while much of the economy has seen significant prices increases, internet price changes are at rates below many other important goods and services purchased by consumers. As
Cable Broadband Providers Deploy Fast Internet to All Communities Regardless of Income or Race
As policymakers around the country continue to focus on getting all Americans connected to robust broadband service, it's important to understand how broadband is deployed today and where broadband infrastructure gaps exist, especially in urban areas where few research studies have looked at this issue. That's why NCTA examined data pulled from FCC and Census Bureau reports to determine where cable's broadband networks have been deployed in urban centers, and to find out what capabilities are available across different household categories. The findings from this report, "Building a Gigabit
Broadband Stats: Decreasing Costs for Consumers
For many Americans, more and more time is now spent online between work, school and entertainment. Fortunately, prices are going down for consumers while at the same time providing a significant value as people are using the service even more. With demand continuing to rise, cable providers will continue to invest heavily to upgrade and improve their networks to ensure that America’s broadband will be ready for whatever innovations the future brings. As broadband kept Americans connected over the past year, the real price of internet service fell by 2.7% according to the Bureau of Labor