How Do We Measure Broadband?

Measuring broadband is an ongoing challenge for policymakers and, for many participants in broadband policy debates, often a source of frustration. The frustration about broadband measurement emanates from what seems knowable – at least it is about other infrastructure. We know where our roads and highways run. Today it is easy to know when they are clogged, where there are tolls, and how much those tolls cost. Electric infrastructure is essentially ubiquitous and it isn’t hard, in most places, to find out the cost of a kilowatt hour and compare prices among providers. Broadband is another story. For at least a decade, policymakers and other stakeholders have sought to better understand broadband – where networks run, how fast they are, how much service costs, and who uses it. Answers on those issues turn out neither to be simple nor agreed upon. How many Americans do not have access to network download speeds of 25 Megabits per second (Mbps) – the Federal Communications Commission’s definition of broadband? It could be 21 million or it could be 162 million. When you measure network speeds, what do you find is the average speed in the United States? It could be 72 Mbps, or possibly 119 Mbps, or maybe something else. How many people have broadband internet subscriptions at home? It could be more than 80% or it might be something like 70%. What follows is an overview of broadband’s measurement challenges and what they mean for policymakers and other stakeholders.

[John B. Horrigan is Senior Fellow at the Technology Policy Institute, with a focus on technology adoption, digital inclusion, and evaluating the outcomes and impacts of programs designed to promote communications technology adoption and use. Horrigan is also currently a consultant to the Urban Libraries Council.]