57% of U.S. Broadband Connections 4 Mbps or Faster

As with just about any particular metric related to broadband access, "average" doesn't mean much. New Akamai data suggests 57 percent of U.S. broadband access customers get minimum speeds of at least 4 Mbps. That suggests the Federal Communications Commission will, in fact, boost its definitions of "broadband" in the future.

But top speeds are quite variable, from place to place. "Average" speeds can range from 8 Mbps to 12 Mbps, with peak speeds in the 30 Mbps to 40 Mbps range. 

Over time, the statistics will have be considered in a more nuanced fashion, though, as more of the actual access connections shift to mobile, rather than fixed, networks. Generally speaking, mobile connections do not operate at fixed network minimum, typical or top speeds.