Broadband Growth Slows For Fourth Straight Year

New research from Leichtman Research Group finds that the broadband growth rate cooled for the fourth year in a row.

The 19 largest cable and telephone providers, which account for about 93% of the US broadband market, acquired 3.4 million net high-speed Internet subscribers last year. That's compared with 4.1 million in 2009, 5.4 million in 2008, 8.5 million in 2007 and a peak of 10.4 million in 2006. Major cable operators gained 2.3 million net broadband subscribers in 2010 -- representing a 68% share of annual broadband additions. As of the end of 2010, those providers had 75.1 million subscribers. Cable companies had 41.5 million broadband subscribers -- holding 55% share -- and telcos tallied 33.5 million.

Comcast is the biggest U.S. wireline broadband provider with 16.99 million subscribers at the end of 2010, followed by AT&T with 16.31 million, Time Warner Cable with 9.8 million and Verizon Communications with 8.39 million. LRG estimates that Cox Communications had 4.37 million high-speed Internet subscribers at the end of 2010.