Broadband Speeds Post-Reclassification : An Empirical Approach

Net Neutrality advocates claim that the rate of increase in average connection speeds following the the Federal Communications Commission's 2015 Open Internet Order is a valid test of the wisdom of Title II reclassification of broadband internet service. Using data on average connections speeds, statistical procedures detect a statistically significant decline in the rate of average broadband speed increases for the U.S. subsequent to the 2015 Open Internet Order, and the graphical analysis supports these findings. U.S. broadband speeds would have been about 10% higher — or about 1.5 Mbps faster — on average "but for" the 2015 Order. Reclassification appears to have significantly retarded expected broadband speed increases