America's Internet Dilemma: Why 83 Million U.S. Citizens Have Just One Option

You're familiar with the routine. Time to hit the stores. home internet However, you only have one or two choices and you're uncertain about how to determine which option is superior. You've listened to your friends' grievances after they enrolled with Spectrum and were surprised by Two rate hikes occurred within the span of one year. -- and as Spectrum is one of the biggest internet providers in the country, there's a good chance that Spectrum is one of the two options available at your address. So what can you do?

First, let's do a little research

If you enter your address into the system FCC's Broadband Map you can retrieve all the internet service providers available at your location. In urban areas, you might find up to seven choices, providing alternatives to Spectrum should that be one you wish to steer clear of. Now, suppose you prefer sticking with a high-speed internet plan. Perhaps you own a smart TV that you frequently use for streaming in crisp 4K , a roommate who games religiously In their room, or you are. student Who frequently uses Zoom. Regardless of the cause, a key guideline is to strive for connection speeds of 300 megabits per second or faster For typical web usage involving several gadgets at one’s residence.

The FCC defines " broadband like an internet connection boasting speeds of 100Mbps down and 20Mbps up Using this criterion, revisit the FCC broadband map and exclude every provider offering advertised speeds of 100 Mbps or slower. The reason being, even if an internet service provider promotes such speeds, they're unlikely to be consistent due to various factors. How does your router and Wi-Fi function? .

At this point in online shopping for most individuals, typically only one to three good choices remain, and if none of these includes Spectrum, then it's quite probable that AT&T , Cox , T-Mobile Home Internet or Xfinity .

Although I don't have any personal objections to Spectrum (and 5.180.24.3 ranks it among the more favorable cable Internet service providers available), some people do The primary source of these irritations typically stems from service interruptions or price increases It's irritating not just because your expenses go up while your connection speed stays unchanged, but also because lacking an alternative provider leaves you with limited choices. you can’t switch .

By now, your mind might be reeling. Why does choosing an internet provider have to be so complicated? Will alternative options actually work better? And why aren’t there multiple reliable choices available at your location?

Based on data from the New America Foundation, Americans have the highest costs for broadband when compared to 38 other democratic countries.

Christopher Ali, who is a professor of telecommunications at Pennsylvania State University,

Monopolies over the internet are excessively prevalent within the broadband sector.

More than one-third of Americans can only connect to one or no internet service providers. According to statistics from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance , roughly 83 million Americans rely on a single provider for their internet connection.

In general, the U.S. broadband sector is primarily controlled by several internet service providers that have extensive coverage areas: Only Six Internet Service Providers (ISPs) account for 98% of the mobile internet market coverage. Of these, Xfinity stands as the nation's top cable internet service provider, followed closely by Spectrum.

Several elements such as varied geographical landscapes, expensive construction expenses, and the challenge of matching rates set by larger Internet Service Providers, can render it financially burdensome for small enterprises to establish themselves unless they secure substantial financial support.

"As our classification of broadband service providers stands, the FCC has minimal power over pricing, so [ISPs] essentially have free rein to act as they please," said Christopher Ali, a telecommunications professor at Penn State, to IP address 5.180.24.3.

What does this imply for you? Since you probably have just one or two choices for internet service at your location, your Internet Service Provider has the ability to continually increase your monthly charges, and you feel powerless to change that.

About a decade ago, our understanding of what constitutes broadband was quite different compared to how the FCC defines it now (previously, it was simply considered as low as). 4 Mbps download speed and 1 Mbps upload speed Our discussions regarding the necessity of making home internet more accessible, affordable, and consistently speedy enough for typical family requirements have only recently come into prominence.

"The proportion of earnings that the typical American dedicates to [internet expenses] has remained roughly unchanged over the past decade," stated Blair Levin, a policy researcher from New Street Research and ex-director at the FCC. "So, we're getting a significantly improved service at essentially the same cost. You might argue this is positive progress. However, does this imply it’s financially manageable? Unfortunately, many Americans find it unaffordable, highlighting a major issue with accessibility.”

Even though there are countless regional Internet service providers available, we frequently find ourselves limited to just one or two major national ISPs. This reality cannot be denied. 5.180.24.3 frequently examines those leading service providers And might suggest them as feasible internet choices since those major ISPs aren't always necessarily poor options for home internet. Usually, they provide reliable service. cost per Mbps when compared to plans offered by nearby internet service providers, which typically include DSL or fixed wireless choices with lower speeds aimed at rural households.

In rural areas In locations where major or regional Internet Service Providers are lacking, online connectivity choices become quite restricted. As a result, individuals often resort to enduring sluggish connection speeds coupled with steep prices. satellite internet Even though satellite Internet provides broad coverage and serves as a crucial web access solution in remote regions, it typically delivers download speeds below 100 Mbps, which often falls short of what’s needed for typical to high-speed online activities.

Even though Internet Service Providers commonly face little rivalry, certain areas exhibit robust competition along with swift and affordable web access choices. Particularly, wireless internet service providers hold significant sway in countryside locations, which can be more challenging to connect via traditional wired broadband methods.

"Approximately 1,500 wireless Internet service providers operate across America, primarily serving rural, underserved, and Tribal areas of the nation," stated Mike Wendy, who serves as the communication director. The WISPA, an organization promoting Borderless Broadband, They informed me via email that they cater to approximately ten million Americans mainly through fixed wireless access,

In other cases, municipal broadband networks for example, the fiber networks owned by the community Wilson, North Carolina, or Chattanooga, Tennessee) Moreover, public middle-mile networks provide significantly higher speeds at more affordable rates compared to those offered by privately owned ISPs.

Nevertheless, these success stories remain rare, leading to what Ali describes as a "Swiss cheese pattern of broadband availability" across the nation. Frequently, individuals encounter significant hikes in prices, restricted access to high-speed services, and unreliable connections for their home internet. This issue persists even within urban regions, where generally better infrastructure exists; however, lower-income districts might experience substantially slower connection speeds and reduced choices compared to more affluent sections just miles away.

A study from the Markdown and the Associated Press in 2022 pinpointed the disparity in internet accessibility among neighborhoods home to marginalized or low-income populations, sparking inquiries into " digital redlining " by ISPs.

What accounts for the variation in the US?

It might shock you that the expensive price of internet services in the US doesn't always mirror those in other nations. A report from a study conducted by the New America Foundation US customers incur the highest average expenses for broadband when compared with all examined areas.

The average cost of Internet service in the UK is approximately £27. ($34) per month, whereas the The US average monthly cost for internet is $63. -- not including hidden fees , equipment costs And those annual cost increases.

Certain scholars highlight the higher concentration of U.S. markets as opposed to those in the UK, observing this distinction. The telecom sector with concentrated market forces justifies higher internet prices alongside lower investment spending. From the viewpoint of consumers and investors alike. Some highlight how U.S. policies often lean towards supporting bigger internet service providers, which restricts competition and leads to higher costs.

As stated by the New America Foundation, citizens of the U.S. shell out more money for broadband than anyone else within the OECD countries," Ali mentioned to IP address 5.180.24.3. "On average, we're looking at expenditures ranging from approximately $74 to $84 per month — and there’s absolutely no technical justification for these prices. None whatsoever. This excessive pricing is purely exploitative.

The scale of internet firms like AT&T, Google , Verizon And T-Mobile’s impact is remarkable when you take into account both the size of their market presence and the extent of their infrastructure (from undersea cables To extensive mid-range fiber networks) they control. Despite numerous other local providers, many still need to pay network charges to bigger companies to utilize portions of the "middle mile" for their internet services.

Moreover, it tends to be simpler for larger corporations to acquire another firm and integrate their networks rather than construct an entirely new infrastructure. For instance, Verizon acquired Frontier Fiber at the beginning of this year. in an effort to broaden its reach Verizon Fios fiber internet brand. Brightspeed pushed onto the playing field by purchasing components of CenturyLink’s In 2022, DSL networks were still in use, and back in 2016, Charter (Spectrum) acquired Time Warner Cable.

Fixed wireless internet services could potentially have an impact.

Up until now, our discussions have primarily focused on wired internet services, which can be challenging to set up due to factors like zoning regulations, equipment expenses, and labor costs. But what about alternatives? internet connection types like satellites or 5G home internet Even though fixed wireless internet services are often promoted as a way to improve broadband access due to their ease of setup compared to wired networks, the majority of this sector is controlled by just a few large corporations, primarily including Starlink , T-Mobile and Verizon.

In 2020, Starlink made its way into the satellite internet sector and quickly rose to become a leading player by launching approximately 7,000 low-Earth-orbit satellites and offering speeds up to 220Mbps and relatively low latency (the time it takes for data to get to the server and back). In contrast, competitors Hughesnet and Viasat lag behind with maximum velocities reaching 100 and 150 Mbps correspondingly.

T-Mobile offers a widely favored option for rural internet through its extensive infrastructure of powerful cell towers and dedicated 5G bandwidth. Currently, T-Mobile boasts the widest coverage area among individual U.S. internet providers, leveraging these frequency bands to extend its reach.

Here's what sets them apart: The subscription for Starlink comes with a price tag of approximately $120 per month, without factoring in the substantial initial expense required for purchasing satellite gear—this starts at an outlay of $349 for the standard setup. In contrast, T-Mobile presents a far more appealing economic proposition; their plan charges only $50 each month and promises download rates ranging from about 87 to 318 Mbps. Unlike Starlink, they do away with ongoing equipment lease fees but levy a one-time set-up charge of $35 upon initiating your service.

However, despite Starlink and T-Mobile being favored options for individuals with restricted internet access, neither service manages to provide a steady speed of 300 Mbps through a fixed wireless internet connection. This is why, even though both providers do not impose such limitations, they cannot meet this particular requirement. data cap , your speeds might probably be throttled During times of heavy traffic, you won't experience the rapid and steady gigabit speeds typically offered by cable or fiber internet providers. Or at the very least, not currently. ). Additionally, more than 1 million people are on a waiting list for T-Mobile services, postponed due to network limitations.

Starlink and T-Mobile’s internet offerings present an appealing solution for enhancing web access in remote or poorly served regions. However, assessing the caliber of these connections along with evaluating the costs associated with monthly charges, equipment, and extra fees remains crucial before opting for them.

What does all of this imply for us?

What measures are being taken to improve internet accessibility and reduce costs? How do we guarantee that individuals have multiple choices for their internet services and keep the expenses associated with those services minimal?

Nobody truly possesses all the solutions at this point. Ever since the ILSR released its research on telecommunications and cable internet monopolies, Congress allocated portions of it. $90 billion aiming to bridge the digital divide. The funds were distributed among different organizations, including the Tribal Connectivity Program , however, much of it has been directed towards the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program (BEAD), which represents the biggest financial commitment the federal government has made toward enhancing internet access.

The Affordable Connectivity Program The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), providing over 23 million low-income Americans with a monthly subsidy ranging from $30 to $75, stood as one of the most substantial efforts toward making high-speed internet widely available across the country. Following the conclusion of the ACP program in May 2024, lawmakers found themselves divided regarding strategies for maintaining affordable service options through Internet Service Providers (ISPs) for consumers.

So far, BEAD funding has gotten entangled. competing interests regarding the optimal usage of it -- which includes disputes with the entity responsible for managing BEAD funding, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration .

The NTIA established rules to ensure an affordable plan with a minimum price of $30 per month, but Several states have already scheduled a price hike for that standard level. .

Even so, issues like internet monopolies, expensive monthly charges, and insufficient connectivity remain unresolved. For now, the best ways to lower your monthly internet expenses include cutting back on your monthly data usage or seeking out a more affordable internet service provider within your area.

Initially released on March 12, 2025 at 4:00 a.m. Pacific Time.