Broadband Surge Continues Amidst COVID-19

Comcast now has over 30 million broadband customers, by far the largest broadband provider in the US. Usually, Comcast’s broadband gains overshadow modest broadband performance at rivals AT&T and Verizon. But broadband growth during COVID-19 is shared. Combined, AT&T and Verizon added nearly 500K fiber broadband subscribers during the third quarter of 2020 -- as Comcast added 633,000 customers. 

There are several factors at play here helping drive broadband growth during COVID-19, including the massive shift to work from home for white-collar workers during the pandemic. Broadband is an essential service like never before and the largest broadband carriers are benefiting.

Conditions created by COVID-19 are not all great though. There still is a looming issue of non-pays among existing subscribers, millions of whom are facing financial difficulty because of the pandemic. It remains to be seen how the recession will ultimately impact the broadband industry. It certainly won’t go unscathed.