Today the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released their Report on Consumer Wireline Broadband Performance in the U.S., a study that evaluates the condition of residential broadband performance in the United States. The following statement should be attributed to Steve Pociask, president of the American Consumer Institute:
“The FCC’s newest findings on the performance of broadband service in the U.S. show that the state of the current marketplace is benefitting Internet providers and consumers alike. The report found that, on the whole, customers receive the same download speeds that companies advertise, even during peak time of broadband demand. In fact, many ISPs continue to closely meet or exceed the speeds they advertise.
Although our country leads the world in 4G LTE wireless subscribers, and almost 7 in 10 households have access to broadband service, the need for bandwidth continues to increase at an exponential rate. American Internet users rely on broadband service for most aspects of our daily lives — from employment to education to healthcare.
The FCC’s report makes clear that the industry is moving toward faster deployment, faster speeds, and improved service quality. This provides evidence that the competitive broadband market is working and continues to satisfy consumers’ growing broadband needs. With this in mind, public policies needs to maintain a less restrictive regulatory environment that will incentivize more investment to meet consumer demand, and well as grow services and application throughout the Internet ecosystem.”