Ookla Year-End 2023 Reports Shows Further Rise in U.S. Broadband Speeds

On January 16, Ookla released its Global Speed Index reports for December 2023, including for the United States. According to Ookla, median upload/download speeds in the U.S. for December 2023 were 227.27/26.59 Mbps for fixed broadband services and 111.01/9.68 Mbps for mobile broadband services. Those overall figures show significant improvement over Ookla's findings from March 2023 of 197.84/23.02 Mbps for fixed broadband services, and 81.26/9.44 Mbps for mobile broadband services. (For background, see my April 2023 blog post, "Ookla Reports Rising Fixed and Mobile Broadband Speeds in Early 2023.")

 

Ookla's December 2023 findings are yet another indicator of the success of the federal light-touch regulatory framework for broadband Internet access services, which encourages private market investment and innovation. That pro-free market approach was established in the FCC's 2017 Restoring Internet Freedom Order. Supporters of public utility regulation made dire predictions that the RIF Order would cause the Internet to slow to one word at a time or shuffle most Americans off into slow lanes while corporate elites enjoy fast lane privileges. The scare stories have proven totally false. 

 

On December 14, the Free State Foundation filed comments in the Securing and Safeguarding the Open Internet proceeding, recommending that the FCC stick to the pro-market policy of the RIF Order as the best way to promote continued advancements in broadband access for all Americans. The RIF Order's repeal of the agency's short-lived public utility regulation did not slow anyone’s speeds, and Ookla’s reports instead show that broadband speeds have continued to increase. FSF's comments urged the Commission to not reimpose public utility regulation on broadband Internet access services.