The University of Kansas conducted a test study on broadband speeds impacting over one million residents. The results showed that, on average, home internet download speeds were below 100 Mbps with upload speeds below 20 Mbps, reported Telecompetitor.
The one-year study was conducted between January 2021 and January 2022, and had more than 6,800 respondents living in 557 Kansas zip codes. The University conducted automatic speed tests on participants’ internet connections and asked questions regarding at-home broadband access, affordability, and adoption.
Telecompetitor reported that 87,000 participants had average speeds below 25/3 Mbps. According to a map of findings, areas lacking higher-speed broadband access tended to be on the edges of urban areas or in rural communities.
Germaine Halegoua, John D. Evans development professor and associate professor of communication and media at the University of Michigan and member of the research team, said, “The fact that at least 3 percent of Kansans don’t even have this subpar connection is alarming. It’s like saying that 3 percent of the population lacks access to any other utility.” She added that “25/3 is already an outdated baseline for adequate internet connection and will only prove more inadequate as internet needs increase.”
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