USTelecom: Broadband Is Getting Faster and Cheaper

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2026 – Inflation-adjusted prices for the most popular broadband plans fell 6 percent in 2025 while average download speeds increased 21.9 percent, according to a report released Tuesday by USTelecom. The group's 2026 Broadband Pricing Index found real prices for residential internet plans offering between 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) and 940 Mbps declined from $47.23 to $44.38 over the year. Gigabit plans, those offering at least 1,000 Mbps, fell 4.9 percent in real terms, from $67.41 to $64.11. USTelecom said the largest savings came on entry-level plans. Prices for plans offering between 100 Mbps and 249 Mbps fell 17.2 percent in inflation-adjusted terms between 2024 and 2025, compared with declines of 8.3 percent for plans between 250 Mbps and 499 Mbps and 12.6 percent for plans between 500 Mbps and 940 Mbps. Average download speeds for the most popular broadband services increased from 283 Mbps in 2024 to 345 Mbps in 2025, while average upload speeds rose from 95 Mbps to 99 Mbps. Since 2014, real broadband prices have fallen 63.9 percent while average download speeds have increased nearly 145 percent over the same period, according to USTelecom. The findings come amid aggressive broadband pricing competition. Earlier this year, Breezeline's Welo brand launched 300 Mbps service for $25 per month for life in Columbus, Ohio, while Optimum advertised 300 Mbps service for $25 per month with a five-year price lock and Comcast offered 300 Mbps service for $40 per month with a five-year price lock. The report said gigabit service has become increasingly common, citing Federal Communications Commission data showing subscriptions to plans offering at least 940 Mbps grew fivefold between 2020 and mid-2025. Nearly one-third of U.S. households now subscribe to gigabit-speed service. USTelecom attributed the pricing trends to competition among broadband providers and continued private investment in communications networks, citing nearly $90 billion in communications infrastructure investment during 2024. The report also pointed to polling data suggesting broadband costs are not a major household concern. In a March survey of 1,500 likely voters, 2 percent identified home internet service as one of their top two household cost concerns, compared with 39 percent who cited groceries, 31 percent who cited health insurance, and 30 percent who cited housing or rent. The Broadband Pricing Index is based on pricing data collected through the FCC's Urban Rate Survey and examines broadband offerings from 14 of the nation's largest wireline providers, representing more than 90 percent of terrestrial broadband subscriptions.