Broadband Continues to Be a Bargain
American consumers are worried about affordability, but their list of serious concerns does not include broadband. According to US Telecom’s May 19, 2026, Broadband Pricing Index (BPI) report, for the 11th straight year broadband prices have decreased and speeds have increased. It was therefore not surprising that the nationwide poll included in the BPI report found that only 2 percent of respondents rank internet service as a top worry, the lowest of any category contained in the survey.
According to the BPI report, prices for the most popular internet services (100-940 Mbps) have decreased by 6 percent year over year in 2025 and by 43.6 percent since 2014. Gigabit plans are even less costly, declining by 48.9 percent since 2016.
As plan costs decline, average download speeds continue to increase, with the most popular plans rising by 145 percent since 2014, while upload speeds are up by around 95 percent. The report noted that the two biggest drivers for this welcome consumer benefit are healthy “competition among investors and intense private investment.” Providers are investing nearly $90 billion in communications infrastructure annually to upgrade networks and deliver higher speeds at lower prices.
This trend will be enhanced if public policy continues to move modernization efforts forward. On March 26, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took a significant step forward by voting to accelerate copper wire replacement in the nation’s communication infrastructure. According to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, “For too long, outdated rules and regulations have forced providers to maintain aging copper infrastructure and to keep consumers on broken antiquated networks. … One provider alone reports that they have been spending about $6 billion a year maintaining copper lines for a dwindling number of consumers.”
Network expansion can also be enhanced by streamlining permitting for providers that navigate a myriad of federal, state, and local requirements to build networks in unserved and underserved communities. On August 7, 2025, the FCC adopted a notice of proposed rulemaking to modernize the commission’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) rules. The FCC’s actions should reduce paperwork and speed up build out of broadband and mobile networks to unserved and underserved communities across the country. Similarly, state and local governments can expedite deployment by streamlining application processes in their localities. As noted by Sebastian Griffin from the Mountain State Policy Center in a September 20, 2024 article, permitting reform can do much to help speed deployment by local government by “setting clear timelines, reducing redundant inspections, and implementing transparent, consistent guidelines that make it easier for private providers to navigate the permitting landscape.”
As funding for the $42.45 Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program continues to be sent to the states and territories, reducing regulatory burdens and streamlining permitting applications are critical to enabling the investment made by providers continue to reduce costs and increase speeds for unserved and underserved communities across the country. That should facilitate the 2027 BPI report to again show lower costs and higher speeds along with more broadband connections across the country.
