New data from Broadview Networks and Akamai shows that if you want the fastest broadband in the nation – move to Virginia. New York and Washington are also climbing the list, while states that we think of as technology hubs like California or Texas actually offer slower service. The data comes from Akamai’s “State of the Internet” report. Cloud data provider Broadview, took the data from the report and rendered it into the map above.
The Northeastern corridor offers some of the faster speeds available in the country, while large parts of the South and the High Plains region lag behind. The US average is 10.5 mbps which still falls well below speeds available in other countries – many offer speeds over 20 mbps.
The state that showed the greatest improvement was Kansas which saw speeds increase 91%, that increase still only brings it to the lower middle tier of speeds offered nationwide. Kansas recently saw the completion of Google Fiber in the city of Kansas City, Kansas which has gone a long way toward improving speeds.
The structure of Akamai’s data changed this time, with the organization noting that it will be focusing on the adoption of networks able to handle 4K or Ultra HD data. The company’s recent acquisition of Prolexic also brings in a new layer of cybersecurity monitoring data, including the rate of attack in high value industries like financial services.
AT&T, Comcast, Verizon and Time Warner Cable topped the list of biggest providers of internet services. However, compared to the 91% jump experienced in Kansas by the inclusion of just one Google Fiber city, questions about what American’s are getting from the big four remain. As CivSource has reported on efforts by those companies to limit competition even in areas where they have no plans to build.
