Late last week, data provider ID Insight published a list of what it called the “Top 25 Fastest Broadband Counties” – a list it claims is based on actual Internet access speeds. Those speeds, collected in database it calls Broadband Scout, includes data about users’ types of connection, speed, the carrier they use and more. ID Insight developed Broadband Scout as part of its work with service providers applying for federal stimulus funding.
Of course a Top 25 list without broadband speeds attached is less than interesting. To get some feel for the range of speeds, the number on county on the list, Nassau County in New York, boasts a median download speed of 15.0 megabits per second and a median upload speed of 4.4 megabits per second. The number 25 county, Howard County in Maryland, had speeds of 10.7 megabits down and 2.8 megabits up, according to Craig Settles, a broadband consultant who works with local communities on broadband projects and who is a business partner with ID Insight on the Broadband Scout project.
Overall, the list is important, said Settles, because “in large part due to the [federal broadband] stimulus [program], people are becoming more aware of the fact consumers and small businesses don’t really know what they’re getting when they buy broadband,” he said. “There are the advertised ‘up-to’ rates that can look good on paper but have no basis in reality due to terrain, time of day, number of people within a service area and so on.”
By comparison, he claimed:
ID Insight gets to the heart of resolving these issues by pulling out what are actual data speeds individuals and businesses are getting during the day over a period of time, averaging this out per person and then averaging everyone’s rate within census tracts. This approach addresses the lack of accuracy in individuals randomly checking Internet speeds from their computer, and presents what is closer to reality. It enables the company to provide a unique data source to validate marketing claims and also compare providers’ performance, determine ISPs’ market share and broadband usage patterns in an area.
Here’s the full list of counties, one to 25:
1. Nassau County, N.Y.
2. Kent County, R.I.
3. Putnam County, N.Y.
4. Benton County, Ore.
5. Mercer County, N.J.
6. Richmond County, N.Y.
7. Delaware County, Ind.
8. Snohomish County, Wash.
9. Thurston County, Wash.
10. Frederick County, Va.
11. Washington County, R.I.
12. Arlington County, Va.
13. Yamhill County, Ore.
14. Providence County, R.I.
15. Calvert County, Md.
16. Bristol County, R.I.
17. Multnomah County, Ore.
18. Chester County, Pa.
19. Washington County, Ore.
20. Salem County, N.J.
21. Allen County, Ind.
22. Suffolk County, N.Y.
23. Ramsey County, Minn.
24. Island County, Wash.
25. Howard County, Md.
Not enough competition in my area. I only have one DSL provider: ATT and one Cable company: TWC. No fiber. Wireless is out of the question because it’s too expensive. There is no competition at all in broadband.
No motivation for companies to increase speed because they have a monopoly over the consumers.
I don’t agree with USF money be diverted to cable providers for high speed internet. That money should be going to rural cell phone providers instead. In Texas as an example there is very spotty coverage on road ways between major cities. at&t, Verizon and Sprint don’t own those areas, so if you get stuck, who can you call when you are 40 miles from the nearest pay phone?
I have a question on your testing. Are these “speed test” testing the whole Internet “pipe” from the local access port (subscriber) to wherever these “speed test” sites are, including the “middle mile” as well as the actual test site’s busy hour times? If that is the case, then it’s not truely testing the subscriber’s access speed, but the “middle mile” as well as all routes (which could theoretically vary with each test), and how busy the “speed test” site is at that particular time. It would seem that a true “speed test” would evaluate each particular piece of the network and report where the “speed” is being limited and not insinuate that it is the “subscribers access speed”. Is there any effort being made to define the many different aspects, or pieces, of the puzzle that is generally referred to as the “Internet”?
They should also publish a list of the 25 slowest broadband counties in the U.S. Perhaps it would embarrass the likes of Comcast and Verizon to expand their coverage areas.
When will Texas make this list?
Strongly agree with Bob\’s suggestion, particularly given the plan FCC will be submitting to Congress this coming Tuesday. It would be very useful to see where the slowest counties or even census tracts are located.
Strongly agree with Bob. Lets hear it for the slowest broadband counties.