New Harvard Study Recognizes Community-Owned Internet Service Providers as Value Leaders in America

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New Harvard Study Recognizes Community-Owned Internet Service Providers as Value Leaders in America

By CircleID Reporter
January 12, 2018, 1:52 am PST Views: 9,073 Add Comment

Community-owned fiber networks provide least-expensive local “broadband,” according to a recent study by Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center. From the report, David Talbot, Kira Hessekiel, and Danielle Kehl write: “We examined prices advertised by a subset of community-owned networks that use fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) technology. In late 2015 and 2016 we collected advertised prices for residential data plans offered by 40 community-owned (typically municipally-owned) FTTH networks. We then identified the least-expensive service that meets the federal definition of broadband (regardless of the exact speeds provided) and compared advertised prices to those of private competitors in the same markets. We were able to make comparisons in 27 communities and found that in 23 cases, the community-owned FTTH providers’ pricing was lower when the service costs and fees were averaged over four years. (Using a three year-average changed this fraction to 22 out of 27.) In the other 13 communities, comparisons were not possible, either because the private providers’ website terms of service deterred or prohibited data collection or because no competitor offered service that qualified as broadband. We also found that almost all community-owned FTTH networks offered prices that were clear and unchanging, whereas private ISPs typically charged initial low promotional or “teaser” rates that later sharply rose, usually after 12 months.”

By CircleID Reporter

CircleID’s internal staff reporting on news tips and developing stories. Do you have information the professional Internet community should be aware of? Contact us.

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