Broadband Choice

One of the most questionable facts circulating in the broadband industry is that a large percentage of homes in the country have multiple internet service provider (ISP) options. A recent U.S. News and World Report states that the FCC data shows that 94 percent of homes have a choice of three or more ISPs. I’ve seen similar statistics elsewhere, and it’s not hard to see that this information comes from the latest FCC mapping data. I’m not surprised to find that the FCC maps show that 94 percent of homes in the country have three or more ISPs claiming the ability to provide service. But that is very different than saying that folks have three real choices of ISP. The FCC hasn’t issued an annual broadband report since 2021, probably due to not having a fifth Commissioner. It will be interesting to see what the FCC claims about broadband coverage when it finally issues a report. I bet the FCC report say something along the same lines as mentioned in the U.S. News and Word Report survey – that the state of broadband is good and that almost all Americans have multiple choices for good broadband. But that would be political fantasy that ignores what most households know – most of us in cities have only one or two choices of quality broadband. Many folks in rural areas still don’t even have one.