D.C. Memo: Don't Blame ISPs for Price Inflation, NCTA Says
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Broadband: A new inflation report yesterday showed the CPI running at an annual rate of 2.4%, higher than forecast. Although it is getting more expensive to live in the U.S. — inflation erodes purchasing power — the price of broadband is not to blame, according to NCTA – The Internet & Television Association in Oct. 8 comments for a new FCC report on the pace of broadband deployment. "As the FCC recognized in its 2024 report, between 2009 and 2023, 'in real, inflation-adjusted terms, prices for Internet services declined by approximately 19%.' Therefore, broadband has continued to become more affordable, even as costs of other goods have risen," NCTA said.
NCTA included the broadband inflation data in response to an FCC observation that "too many households across the country grapple with how to pay for gas, water and electric bills while also keeping up with their bill for broadband Internet." Cable ISPs like Comcast, Charter and Cox all have low-cost plans for low-income consumers. "Despite the recent expiration of the ACP,” cable operators have continued efforts to keep low-income customers connected by "maintaining longstanding cable offerings" and by developing “new programs for qualifying customers that offer robust performance at prices well below providers’ standard offerings," NCTA said.