Internet in The United States - Internet Use and Speed

Internet Use and Speed

The United States has over 67.7 million people subscribed to the top broadband providers, which account for 94% of the market. In 2008, over 5.4 million high speed Internet subscribers were added, compared to 8.5 million in 2007. The market’s peak subscriber additions were acquired in 2006 with 10.4 million; the slowed growth can be attributed to increased market penetration, according to the Leichtman Research Group (LRG) that has been tracking the broadband industry. In March 2009, broadband penetration in active Internet user US homes dropped to 93.13%, creating the second consistent decrease from its peak of 93.38% in January 2009.

In 2008, the United States ranked 15th out of 30 countries in broadband penetration rates, behind most other developed nations, including the UK, Germany, France, Denmark (#1), Switzerland, and Canada.

In measurements made between January and June 2011, the United States ranked 26th globally in terms of the speed of its broadband Internet connections, with an average measured speed of 4.93 Mbit/s. South Korea led the list with an average of 17.62 Mbit/s, followed by Romania (15.27 Mbit/s) and Bulgaria (12.89 Mbit/s).

These rankings partly fuel the debate around the need for a national broadband policy, which would strive to provide high speed broadband internet access to all citizens.