Link to Paper
Abstract:
This paper analyzes broadband download speeds in the 48 contiguous U.S. states and Washington, D.C. when aDSL and cable incumbents share the market with a fiber competitor. Between 2014 and 2018 we observe significant increases in inter-platform competition from fiber providers in aDSL- and cable-served Census blocks, but inter-platform competition remains low in absolute terms. We find that the presence of a fiber gigabit provider in a cable-served block predicts lower cable speeds, while entry by fiber providers offering less than gigabit speeds explains no more than a small share of observed growth in cable speeds. Meanwhile, the presence of a fiber gigabit rival in an aDSL-served block predicts only a few Mbps increase in aDSL speeds. Our results suggest that the entry of a rival fiber wireline operator does not explain recent increases in cable and aDSL speeds.
