Broadband Telecommunications Capacity

The number of broadband competitors per zip code area.

Why Is This Important? The ability to transfer large amounts of data over the Internet is largely determined by bandwidth - the carrying capacity of the connections, or the "size of the pipes" - between the sender and the receiver of the data. Greater bandwidth (broadband) allows faster transmission of larger amounts of data, and also makes possible the feature of having the Internet "always on" (not having to log on every time to use it). In a networked world, bandwidth is a core determinant of what is technologically feasible. For example, basic Internet telephony services are already available, but for widespread use of real-time, full-motion video and high-quality telephony over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, homes will need high-bandwidth connections. The best way to measure this is to count the number of homes and businesses that subscribe to broadband services, either through cable services or digital subscriber lines (DSL) over the telephone. However, such data are not available. Instead, data are available on the number of broadband providers (cable, DSL, and other) in each zip code in the metropolitan areas. While this does not measure the number of homes with broadband services, it does provide an indication of both the extent of the broadband market and the extent of competition.

The Rankings: While there is no clear pattern with regard to what type of metros have more broadband providers, the metropolitan areas with the most broadband providers are concentrated on the West Coast, particularly in California. It's important to also note that all 50 metro areas have at least an average of two broadband providers per zip code.

100th-76th Percentile

75th-51st Percentile

50th-26th Percentile

25th-1st Percentile

METRO AREAS BY RANK
Rank	Metro Area	Score
1	San Francisco	4.61
2	Denver	4.52
3	San Diego	4.43
4	Phoenix	4.33
5	Los Angeles	4.27
6	Chicago	3.94
7	Atlanta	3.87
8	Austin	3.72
9	Seattle	3.62
10	Washington	3.56
11	Houston	3.51
12	Dallas	3.49
13	Richmond	3.38
14	Detroit	3.34
15	Miami	3.31
16	Nashville	3.27
17	New York	3.08
18	Boston	2.99
19	Philadelphia	2.98
20	Portland	2.91
21	Minneapolis	2.86
22	Norfolk	2.84
23	Memphis	2.83
24	Sacramento	2.82
25	Las Vegas	2.79
26	Cleveland	2.78
27	Charlotte	2.77
28	Indianapolis	2.76
29	Orlando	2.76
30	West Palm Beach	2.62
31	Columbus	2.61
32	Oklahoma City	2.59
33	Pittsburgh	2.56
34	Salt Lake City	2.53
35	San Antonio	2.52
36	Tampa	2.49
37	Louisville	2.39
38	Cincinnati	2.27
39	Greensboro	2.22
40	Jacksonville	2.15
41	Raleigh-Durham	2.11
42	Hartford	2.11
43	Grand Rapids	2.08
44	Dayton	2.07
45	Buffalo	2.07
46	St. Louis	2.05
47	New Orleans	2.03
48	Milwaukee	2.02
49	Kansas City	2.00
50	Rochester	2.00
	U.S. Average	NA
	Top 50 Metro Average	3.12

ALPHABETICALLY
Metro Area	Rank	Score
Atlanta	7	3.87
Austin	8	3.72
Boston	18	2.99
Buffalo	45	2.07
Charlotte	27	2.77
Chicago	6	3.94
Cincinnati	38	2.27
Cleveland	26	2.78
Columbus	31	2.61
Dallas	12	3.49
Dayton	44	2.07
Denver	2	4.52
Detroit	14	3.34
Grand Rapids	43	2.08
Greensboro	39	2.22
Hartford	42	2.11
Houston	11	3.51
Indianapolis	28	2.76
Jacksonville	40	2.15
Kansas City	49	2.00
Las Vegas	25	2.79
Los Angeles	5	4.27
Louisville	37	2.39
Memphis	23	2.83
Miami	15	3.31
Milwaukee	48	2.02
Minneapolis	21	2.86
Nashville	16	3.27
New Orleans	47	2.03
New York	17	3.08
Norfolk	22	2.84
Oklahoma City	32	2.59
Orlando	29	2.76
Philadelphia	19	2.98
Phoenix	4	4.33
Pittsburgh	33	2.56
Portland	20	2.91
Raleigh-Durham	41	2.11
Richmond	13	3.38
Rochester	50	2.00
Sacramento	24	2.82
Salt Lake City	34	2.53
San Antonio	35	2.52
San Diego	3	4.43
San Francisco	1	4.61
Seattle	9	3.62
St. Louis	46	2.05
Tampa	36	2.49
Washington	10	3.56
West Palm Beach	30	2.62

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