Delaware city wants to compete with
world’s fastest Internet speeds
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[September 01, 2015]
By Josh Peterson / September 1, 2015
NEWARK, Del. — In addition to what
seems to be an already saturated broadband market, Delaware
residents also have some of the fastest broadband speeds in the
nation.
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A report by Akamai Technologies published in the spring found that Delaware
residents enjoy the fastest peak Internet speeds in the nation, averaging 75.4
Mbps.
RELATED: Delaware city pushes government Internet in saturated market
According to a Washington Post analysis of the Akamai report, the Delaware had
the third fastest Internet speeds in the world, coming in behind Hong Kong and
Singapore, even beating out South Korea, a country regularly praised for its
fast broadband speeds.
And BroadbandNow.com, an Austin-based broadband research firm, states that 96
percent of Delawareans “have access to 100mpbs or faster broadband.”
Watchdog.org previously reported that Newark was in the exploratory stages of a
project to potentially deploy a government-funded broadband network, with city
officials acknowledging that the phase could extend well into the next year.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/Sep/01/images/ads/current/morton_sda_daily_fair_2015.png)
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broadband
While Newark’s current research cites revenue for the city as one potential
reason for deploying a government-funded network, another reason the city is
looking to do is compete with Verizon and Comcast – two of the area’s major
providers for consumers.
BroadbandNow.com showed that Newark “has a total of 17 Internet providers
including 2 Cable providers, 4 Copper providers, 4 DSL providers, 2 Fiber
providers, 5 Mobile providers.”
Comcast XFINITY subscribers pay nearly $80 per month for download speeds of up
to 105 Mbps; Verizon FiOS subscribers $55 per month for download speeds of up to
50 Mbps.
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![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/Sep/01/images/ads/current/graue_preowned_ptcruiser_071315.png) RELATED: FCC chief: Federal law and policy preempts state law in
‘appropriate circumstances’
Advocates favor government-funded networks as a way to increase
Internet access in underserved areas and offer competition for major
incumbents; critics warn high-infrastructure costs and failed
projects ultimately harm taxpayers.
Roslyn Layton, a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise
Institute’s Center for Internet, Communications, and Technology
Policy, told Watchdog.org, “I would say that the price people pay
for broadband from private providers in Newark is one of the best
values of anything they consume.”
“What people pay for connectivity is less than housing, energy
transportation, food, clothing, and discretionary vacation. If
Newark city council knew anything, they would look at the items that
take a greater portion of its residents income,” said Layton.
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But the best of intentions also could be counterproductive for
consumers and desired economic growth.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/Sep/01/images/ads/current/business_directory_filler.png)
“In my observation when a municipality sets up a broadband network,
it creates a dead zone where no private provider wants to invest,”
said Layton.
Disclosure: Ed McFadden, Verizon Communications’ vice president of
external communications, is a board member of Watchdog.org’s parent
organization, the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity.
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