NTCA 2009 Broadband/Internet Availability Survey Report

Over the last 11 years the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA) has run a broadband/Internet availability survey of member companies that measures deployment rates of advanced connectivity services. The NTCA refers to itself as "the voice of rural telecommunications," and, according to their website, is the premiere non-profit association representing more than 580 small and rural telephone cooperatives and commercial companies.

The 2009 survey was run in the late spring/early summer and 156 member companies (31%) responded. Here's some of the survey results:

• 98% of respondents offer broadband to some part of their customer base, compared to the 58% in 2000
• 98% of those who offer broadband utilize digital subscriber line (DSL)
• 59% utilize fiber to the home (FTTH) or fiber to the curb (FTTC) (up from 44% last year and 32% the year before that)
• 25% utilize licensed wireless
• 22% utilize unlicensed wireless
• 15% utilize satellite
• 10% utilize cable modem
• 78% of respondents’ customers can receive 200 to 768 kilobits per second (kbps) service.
• 73% of respondents’ customers can receive 768 kbps to 1.5 megabits per second (Mbps)
• 77% of respondents’ customers can receive 1.5 Mbps to 3 Mbps
• 53% of respondents’ customers can receive 3 Mbps to 6 Mbps
• 39% of respondents’ customers can receive greater than 6 Mbps.

Among the companies surveyed, the overall take rate for broadband service was 37%.

The full report is linked here.