Map: The state of broadband in the states

Broadband speeds are expanding nationwide and the conditions seem good for even more growth. All but seven states saw average peak connection speeds grow between the third and fourth quarters of 2014, an indication that Internet connection capacity is growing across the country, according to a new State of the Internet report from Akamai Technologies, which hosts content online.

Delaware held onto its top ranking among the states, with average peak speeds of 75.4 megabits per second. Virginia jumped four spots to claim second place at 73.5 Mbps. DC was third at 65.9 Mbps, followed by Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Kentucky unseated Arkansas as the state with the slowest average peak speeds, clocking in at 34 Mbps. Akamai argues that the average peak connection speed is most representative of Internet connection capacity. Speeds have gained over the past few quarters and that trend is expected to continue, Akamai reports. US average peak broadband speed was 49.4 Mbps. The US average connection speed was 11.1 Mbps. The average peak connection speed was up 16 percent over the fourth quarter in 2013, and the average connection speed was up 15 percent over the same period.