Rural Fiber Penetration at 23%, Almost 1/3 of Rural Customers Seek Faster Broadband

Rural fiber penetration now stands at 23%, according to a study conducted by Pivot Group (parent company of Telecompetitor) and sponsored by Innovative Systems. The 6th Annual Rural Video and Broadband Industry Study from Pivot Group also found that cable broadband penetration leads all access technologies in rural America at 39%. DSL ranked at 14%, followed by fixed wireless at 10% and satellite broadband at 6%. Roughly 8% of rural households are using their cell phone plan for internet access. Fiber broadband has the highest satisfaction among rural internet subscribers at 8.1 on a 10-point scale, where 10 indicates completely satisfied. Surprisingly, fixed wireless was rated second after fiber broadband at 7.9. The average satisfaction rating was 7.6. DSL is underperforming at 7.1. Most rural consumers are satisfied with their current broadband speed, but close to 1/3 indicate they would like to see faster speeds, highlighting an opportunity for rural broadband carriers.