United States of Broadband

Collection

Unlike measurements of the speed of light, ask two different groups to measure internet speeds in Baltimore, MD and you'll end up with two different answers. The reason is that unlike "the speed of the light," "the speed of the internet" isn't a precise phrase. Do you mean the speed at which your computer gets files from the internet? If you do, what kind of computer should be considered? Where in the world should the files be located? Any answer to one of those questions is an opinion about how to measure internet speed and reasonable, educated people have differing opinions.

M-Lab provides one of the internet measurements we look at and their opinion is written here. Another "measurement" of internet speed comes from the FCC's Form 477 data. This data isn't truly "measured." Instead, the FCC requires all internet providers that meet certain qualifications to report the locations they serve and, among other things, the maximum advertised speed served to those regions.

But when you ask a salesperson a question, you get a salesperson's answer. Leaving aside whether the maximum advertised speed in a neighborhood (compared with the maximum purchased, median purchased or advertised, etc) is even the right number to consider, regulators exist because companies aren't taken at their word in situations where honesty isn't incentivized. When companies are taken at their word by the regulators, as in the case of the FCC's 477 data, researchers and journalists watching the industry see faults in the the data the government accepts as true.

Below is a map of the internet speed in the U.S. as measured by M-Lab, collected through the FCC's Form 477, and considered in their difference. You can explore internet speeds at the county level or, by zooming in, at the State House and State Senate levels.

Scattered across the map are vignettes, some written by people affiliated with M-Lab, others by independent journalists and researchers, that taken with the data underneath them describe the state of the internet, with all its faults and areas for improvement, in the U.S. as it stands today.

What's affecting your internet experience?

Net neutrality is the principle that all data should be treated equally by internet service providers. In practice, this means having strong rules that prohibit internet service providers (ISPs) from blocking and throttling lawful content on websites and restricting ISPs from engaging in “paid prioritization” schemes with some websites that pay for “fast” lanes while ISPs leave everyone else who doesn’t pay in “slow” lanes.

Net neutrality rules are strongly supported by a bipartisan majority of the country according to several surveys, they are crucial for small businesses, and they are a key protection for modern civil rights. These rules have been understood to be essential for the integrity of the internet for decades, but were only enshrined through strong, enforceable rules in 2015 with the passing of the Open Internet Order. Unlike previous attempts from the FCC to enforce net neutrality principles, this Order was upheld twice by a federal appeals court as justified under the law.

Those rules have since been repealed by the current administration’s FCC. However, that repeal is being challenged by a bipartisan effort in Congress, by public interest organizations and the tech industry, and by the states (in the courts and state legislatures).

OTI's Work

Several studies have shown that the high cost of internet access serves as the biggest barrier to adoption for Americans. Despite the fact that a reliable, high-speed broadband connection is vital for access to services related to work, education, healthcare, information and news, entertainment, finances, and communication, many Americans simply cannot afford to pay for a high-speed internet connection. OTI has conducted several studies in the past that showed that the majority of U.S. cities surveyed payed more money for slower Internet access than cities abroad.

However, the FCC does not actually collect any data about how much internet service providers charge their customers for certain speeds, and whether consumers actually receive those speeds. The absence of reliable data in this field leaves the public in the dark as to how broadband pricing trends have evolved over time and region, which is a vital piece to the puzzle in bridging what is known as the “Digital Divide.”

OTI's Work

The “Digital Divide” refers to the gap between Americans who have access to high-speed broadband—and the opportunity that comes with that connectivity— and those who do not. This divide is one of several metrics used by researchers and advocates to track the opportunity and privilege gap between the “haves” and “have nots.” Those with high-speed broadband access have a connection to education, employment, financial, information, government, healthcare, entertainment, and communication services that all primarily live online these days.

Research shows that marginalized communities, rural Americans, and low-income Americans are disproportionately harmed by the digital divide. The digital divide becomes particularly stark when it comes to education, and is reflected in the phenomenon known as the “Homework Gap.” This gap refers to the divide between children with and without a high-speed broadband connection at school and at home. Essentially, some students are able to complete their homework, research their projects, and conduct independent research on personal interests using the internet, while students lacking access are left without this crucial tool. The Homework Gap also affects students of color and students from low-income households at much higher rates.

OTI's Work

Long lists of analogies exist trying to explain internet speed. Internet speed can be a a pie to be sliced or a hose spraying water or a highway carrying cars, depending on who's writing. But the kernel of each analogy is a tradeoff between this thing called "internet speed" that your service provider (ISP) gives you and the amount of that "internet speed" you need to act online.

The amount you need depends on what activity you want to do and how many of the people you live with are also online. If you’re looking at 8 megabyte (Mb) large pictures a friend took on your 8 Mb per second (Mbps) internet connection, it’ll take one second for that picture to load. That’s a totally workable wait time. On the other hand, 4k video requires at least 16 Mbps, which means that for every second of video you watch, you have to wait for two, and that’s if you’re the only one at home on the internet. The amount of internet your ISP gives you gets split between every computer, phone, Playstation, and internet-enabled lightbulb. So the more devices active at one time, the more internet you need.

Well, how much internet is that? The FCC has weighed on the question, recommending 3-8 Mbps for one user browsing the internet and streaming HD video or two users just browsing. For three or more users to comfortably scroll around on the internet, two users to stream HD video, or one user to stream video on the TV and FaceTime on their phone, the FCC says customers need 12 to 25 Mbps . But if three or more users want to do multiple things, you’ll need at least 25 Mbps.

What can you do about it?