Study: Median US Broadband User Pays $80 for Broadband Not only does US broadband speed and availability lag behind many developed nations, but US consumers continue to pay more for broadband than many of their international colleagues. A new study from Point Topic (hat tip: Telecompetitor) indicates that US citizens paid a median monthly fee of $80 for broadband service during the second quarter of 2017. Globally, the average residential download speed was 135 Mbps and the average monthly charge was $105.

The study measured the low and high end for broadband services across a number of countries, finding an extreme range in India ($120/$5), Brazil ($115/$20) and Turkey ($118/$20), but overall lower rates in places like Germany ($50/$22), Japan ($35/$3), South Korea ($55/$30) and Russia ($30/$5). "The spreads in Japan, Germany, South Korea and Russia for example seem to indicate that it is relatively straightforward to get more bandwidth, at least in terms of cost," the report notes. "In India, Turkey, Brazil and the United States the differences in price levels of various speeds are much more pronounced, not least due to the limited supply of alternative technologies especially in rural areas." Of course the study doesn't factor in the steady rise in usage caps in the United States, glorified price hikes that ISPs impose to take advantage of the lack of competition in many markets. In the States it's now standard to see caps ranging from anywhere from 150 GB to a terabyte, with most ISPs now charging an additional $10 to $15 per each additional 50 GB of data consumed. Other countries like the UK ($55/$5) and France ($55/$10) also still tend to see lower rates and higher speeds than the States, in part due to limited geography, but in part due to political and regulatory apathy toward the lack of real competition in US markets. The report mirrors Other countries like the UK ($55/$5) and France ($55/$10) also still tend to see lower rates and higher speeds than the States, in part due to limited geography, but in part due to political and regulatory apathy toward the lack of real competition in US markets. The report mirrors other reports that similarly show US residents pay more for broadband than many developed nations. Things aren't much better in wireless, where the US is ranked 55th in terms of average LTE speeds, while users still pay some of the highest wireless data prices anywhere.







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Most recommended from 51 comments



ham3843

join:2015-01-15

USA 4 recommendations ham3843 Member AT&T LOL I pay regular price 43$/mo for 768/128k DSL

somms

join:2003-07-28

Centerville, UT 3 recommendations somms Member $50/month for 1Gbps up/down FTTH





I did have to pay $2750 upfront in order to buy the fiber installed into my home but best home improvement I have made to date! I did have to pay $2750 upfront in order to buy the fiber installed into my home but best home improvement I have made to date! GusHerb94

join:2011-11-04

Chicago, IL 2 recommendations GusHerb94 Member Comcast I just renewed our promo pricing; 39.99 a mo for a year on the Blast tier. Before that we were paying $54.99 for Extreme 150 which is also the highest we've ever paid for Internet.



If Comcast didn't cap our internet I'd be willing to pay the regular price of $99.95 for Extreme 300. Their loss. Ostracus

join:2011-09-05

Henderson, KY 2 recommendations Ostracus Member Broadband degrees. Wireless is one of the few things there's a degree of competition, compared to broadband. Not as good as it could be, but still better than it was. That's one of the reasons wireless is seen as a possible broadband alternative.