Lab notes: August 2021

Update on CR’s broadband efforts

  • We still want to see your internet bill. More than 35,000 participants from across the nation have participated in our community research project to understand the cost and quality of broadband since we launched in July. If you haven’t done so already, we’d love it if you would take a speed test and upload a copy of your bill, and ask a friend or family member to join us.
  • Consumers are frustrated with broadband services. CR’s latest survey on consumer attitudes about broadband shows the challenges and frustrations many people share with their services, or lack thereof, across the country. According to the survey, the median monthly bill for people with only one broadband choice was $75, while 43 percent of Americans with broadband in their homes reported being dissatisfied with the price they pay. Read more about the CR survey in Politico, Protocol, and Forbes.
  • Infrastructure bill clears the U.S. Senate with funding for broadband. The recently passed Senate version of the bipartisan infrastructure bill contains CR-endorsed broadband provisions that address access, affordability and transparency. The bill includes grants to deploy broadband in unserved and underserved areas, requirements for grant recipients to offer a low-cost service option, and a requirement that all internet service providers must use a standardized pricing label, known as a consumer broadband label or broadband nutrition label. The Washington Post and Axios interviewed CR’s Jonathan Schwantes for our perspective on the bill.

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