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ISPs Failing to Meet Speeds as Advertised

The FCC released its Measuring Broadband America report, and while carriers are performing closer to their broadband targets than in 2009, they are still regularly performing below their advertised speeds. In terms of technology, DSL fared the worst, delivering speeds that were 82 percent of the advertised speed. Peak-period speeds declined across all platforms, and across most metrics, fiber-to-the-home service performed the best.

The report triggered a strong response from Free Press Research Director S. Derek Turner, who issued the following statement:

"No matter how industry tries to put a positive spin on these results, the report shows conclusively that many Americans are simply not getting what they pay for. This study indicates Comcast, Cox and Verizon FiOS largely perform well, but other companies like Cablevision, AT&T, MediaCom, and Frontier all fail to deliver their customers the quality of service promised.”

"The fact that providers using the same technology turned in very different performances indicates that delivering promised speeds can be done, but some ISPs are simply failing to properly maintain and provision their networks. It’s completely inexcusable that millions upon millions of Americans are paying for something they're not receiving.”