 |
 |
||
|
|
||
Reach of low-priced broadband plans hits record high in Q2 – study The percentage of Americans with access to low-priced broadband – defined as plans costing $60 per month or less – reached a record high in the second quarter of 2021, according to a new study from BroadbandNow. Some 87% of Americans now have access to such plans, up from 77% in Q1 2021, the firm found in the study, "The State of Broadband in America, Q2 2021. " That massive jump in access to affordable broadband plans in Q2 2021 is also up from a mere 51% in the year-ago period. "The nationwide focus on the digital divide is driving results," Tyler Cooper, BroadbandNow's editor-in-chief, said in a statement. BroadbandNow's report is based on data from publicly available plan and coverage information from more than 2,000 ISPs, with a focus on the FCC's current definition of broadband (25Mbit/s download and 3Mbit/s upload). BroadbandNow's low-priced plan coverage is based on ISP Form 477 data reported to the FCC at the census block level. Among other findings, just 34% of Americans had access to low-priced speeds for tiers delivering in the neighborhood of 100Mbit/s down and 25Mbit/s up in Q2 2021. But that still represented an 11% improvement from the prior quarter, BroadbandNow said. Meanwhile, the number of US consumers with access to symmetrical service of 100 Mbit/s from a wired provider reached 40% in Q2 2021, up from 38% in Q1 2021, BroadbandNow said. BroadbandNow's latest report takes focus amid ongoing and new programs aimed at closing the so-called digital divide. Even as the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) presses toward its phase two auction, eyes are now being fixed on a new $1 trillion infrastructure bill that earmarks $65 billion for broadband, with a focus on underserved and unserved areas and subsidies to help low-income families pay their monthly Internet bill.
Related posts:
— Jeff Baumgartner, Senior Editor, Light Reading |
Charter has sparked RDOF work in all 24 states where it won bids. The cable op booked about $19 million in RDOF revenues in Q1, and expects to have about $9 million per month come in over the next ten years.
Launch of 2-Gig and 5-Gig FTTP tiers in 70-plus markets puts more pressure on cable ops to enhance their existing DOCSIS 3.1 network or accelerate their upgrade activity centered on the new DOCSIS 4.0 specs.
Ziply Fiber, an operator that tangles with Comcast and Charter, has launched two multi-gigabit tiers in 60 urban areas, aiming for all markets by Q2 2022.
Elon Musk's nascent broadband will need to radically accelerate the rate of satellite launches – and navigate tricky supply chain logistics – if it's going to come close to fulfilling its global ambition.
MoffettNathanson questions whether mobile operators will have the network capacity and the right business metrics to back their aggressive stance and forecasts for fixed wireless home broadband.
|
|
|
||
