Do You Live in an ISP Monopoly?

A map from Reviews.org ranks U.S. states and metro areas in terms of broadband monopolies, the control over internet providers held by single or few companies that can drive up costs for consumers.

As Brianne Sandorf explains, “With internet service so integral to day-to-day life, the lack of provider competition is both alarming and surprisingly widespread.” The analysis found that more than 8.7 million Americans live in areas with only one wired broadband providers, and less than 10 percent of major metro areas offer more than two providers in most areas.

The states with the least competition for ISPs are, unsurprisingly, rural or with low population densities. “These states are also often heavily Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program-eligible, meaning they’ve already been identified as areas where internet deployment is challenging.”

According to Sandorf, “Some of the best metros (like Trenton, New Jersey and Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania) have multiple internet options on almost every block. That may be in part because many East Coast metros were early fiber adopters.”