Broadband Competition is Thriving Across America

Broadband markets in the United States are by and large competitive today, and the trends indicate that competition is becoming more widespread. Federal Communications Commission data show that the share of US households that have access to multiple providers of fast broadband is already very large and is increasing rapidly. Based simply on projecting historic trends, ACA Connects estimates that by December 2025, well over 90% of households will have access to at least one broadband provider offering 100/20+ service and at least one additional provider offering 25/3+ service. Approximately 74% of all households will have access to at least two broadband providers both offering 100/20+ service. Furthermore, these projections based solely on extrapolating historic trends are likely conservative, given the announced plans of most major incumbent telecommunications providers to dramatically accelerate the pace of their investments in fiber-to-the-premises (fiber) infrastructure over the next five years. Taking these already-announced plans for accelerated investments in fiber into account, ACA Connects projects that approximately 84% of all households will have access to at least two providers both offering 100/20+ service by December 2025. Therefore, the potential benefits of greater regulation (lower prices and faster speeds in areas without sufficient competition) would be limited, while the harms of such regulation (reduced investment incentives, reduced efficiency incentives, reduced innovation and reduced experimentation with new business models) would be felt throughout the entire United States.