High costs prevent many people from accessing the internet, yet no government agency collects data on the price of internet service. The Cost of Connectivity is OTI's effort to crack open this black box and shine light on the actual costs to consumers. Our most recent Cost of Connectivity report, published in July 2020, surveys 760 internet plans across 28 cities in Asia, Europe, and North America and indicates substantial evidence of an affordability crisis in the United States and an overall lack of pricing transparency.
In our most comprehensive report to date, The Cost of Connectivity 2020 examines 760 plans in 28 cities in the United States and abroad. The results indicate further evidence that people can expect to pay more for internet service in the United States than in Asia or Europe.
The Cost of Connectivity 2014 examines 24 cities across the United States and abroad and finds that the majority of U.S. cities surveyed lag behind their international peers, paying more money for slower advertised broadband speeds.
The Cost of Connectivity 2013 examines 24 cities across the United States and abroad and finds that the majority of U.S. cities surveyed lag behind their international peers, paying more money for slower advertised broadband speeds.
The Cost of Connectivity 2012 examines 24 cities across the United States and abroad and finds that the majority of U.S. cities surveyed lag behind their international peers, paying more money for slower advertised broadband speeds.
Claire Park analyzes internet plans in 109 chapters of the Navajo Nation and finds internet service that is slow, outdated, and expensive.
West Virginia is one of the least broadband-connected states in the country. Many residents live in areas not covered by any internet service provider, and those with options often pay high rates for slow service. Our analysis of internet service options in 13 communities across the state shows that residents of rural communities have slower, more expensive options for internet service than West Virginians living in more populous urban areas.
In the late 2000’s, the Ammon City Council in Idaho recognized that private broadband providers alone were not meeting the city’s needs. In response, the city created its own fiber optic network, which now serves the government, businesses, and residents, transforming Ammon into one of the most affordable broadband markets in the country.
In this report, Claire Park analyzes the potential that community broadband networks have to expand and improve internet access across the country and argues for the repeal of state laws that forbid localities from forming their own networks.
In this press release, OTI welcomes the opening of enrollment for the Emergency Broadband Benefit, with OTI's Josh Stager heralding the occasion as "a landmark day for digital equity and utility justice."
In this press release, OTI disputes a "misleading and inaccurate" US Telecom report on the cost of internet service, with OTI's Josh Stager observing, "If internet service is as affordable as US Telecom claims, ISPs could prove it by disclosing their pricing data to the FCC."
In this TechDirt article, OTI's Josh Stager outlines the U.S.'s broadband affordability crisis and how to solve it.
In this Washington Post article, OTI's Claire Park looks at how the pandemic highlights the life-or-death consequences of the digital divide as states rely on online resources for booking vaccine appointments.
In this article for New America's Calamity as Catalyst project, OTI's Claire Park discusses how the lack of accessible and affordable internet access on Tribal lands has deeply affected the communities during the pandemic as school, work, health care, and more went remote seemingly overnight.
In this Slate Future Tense article, OTI's Amir Nasr and Austin Adams argue for the adoption of a Nutrition Facts-like standardized pricing disclosure for broadband internet plans.
Press release: Our latest study of internet pricing points to an affordability crisis in the U.S., where consumers pay more than peers in Asia or Europe.
This Idaho Post Register piece discusses OTI's 2020 Cost of Connectivity report, which found that Ammon, Idaho has some of the most affordable internet service in the world.
This TechDirt piece highlights OTI's latest Cost of Connectivity report and breaks down some of the findings about broadband disparities in the U.S.
Gizmodo quotes the 2020 Cost of Connectivity report and uses its findings about connectivity in Ammon, Idaho as evidence that community broadband can help close the digital divide.
This Slate Future Tense article about closing the digital divide references OTI's Cost of Connectivity 2020 report. Citing OTI's research on broadband costs, the piece illustrates that access is not the only thing prevention people from having internet – it's also affordability.