An Eight Years Perspective on the Internet Broadband Infrastructure in the USA

Abstract

The broadband market in the US consists of a variety of access technologies and Internet Service Providers. However, the lack of broadband Internet access in remote regions and lack of ISP choice at high-speed tiers (above 100 Mbps) result in a digital divide that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been aiming to close. To this end, we analyze a dataset collected by the Measuring Broadband America (MBA) program to provide a comprehensive view of broadband performance (reliability, throughput, and latency) across the US from 2012–2019. We also build coverage maps on reliability, throughput, and latency to identify potential underserved areas that upcoming Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites can cover to improve market options and diversity in the near future. Throughput speeds and latencies have improved over the years, although the observed throughput is lower in some specific states. The data shows that geostationary satellites can already serve as an alternative with reliable download speeds in areas where coverage or market competition is lacking, despite the inherently higher latency.