Take reports of Montana’s terrible broadband speeds with a grain of salt
Some news outlets have reported this week that Montana’s Internet access speeds are the worst in the country and that this could leave our rural areas “economically crippled.†While I do not dispute the fact that we have some slow Internet access statewide, I would like to remind everyone to take such pronouncements with all due consideration.
The speed news comes from November 2010 data published by Speed Matters where Speed Matters says, in bold red type, that Montana ranks last in the country in Internet speeds. Its data shows that Montana’s median download speed is 0.4 mbps and that our average is 1.2 mbps — they also note that the FCC defines “broadband†as at least 4 mbps down and 1 mbps up.
Let’s be clear about one thing. If you go to the Speed Matters website and visit the interactive map of Montana’s speed test results, you’ll see that the website lists how many tests were conducted in each county.
The majority of Montana’s speed data comes from counties where fewer than two dozen people have taken the Speed Matters test.Read More »Take reports of Montana’s terrible broadband speeds with a grain of salt