Cable Leads in Median Broadband Data Usage

With growing adoption of online video streaming, the data demand of U.S. consumers continues to increase at a rapid pace. According to “Measuring Broadband America”, a study recently published by the FCC, the median monthly data consumption per broadband subscriber ranges from 12 GB (DSL) to more than 28 GB (Cable). In other words: every second broadband cable subscriber uses AT LEAST 28 GB per month. That is a lot of traffic to handle for internet service providers and as the report shows the ever-growing hunger for data is starting to affect performance: In peak hours (between 8pm and 10pm) download speeds across all ISPs dipped in what can be described as an internet traffic jam. Some ISPs, such as Comcast, are now starting to scrap unlimited data plans and return to usage-based billing.