Broadband Prices Didn’t Really ‘Increase’ for Consumers in 2025

A recent post from the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society declared, “Broadband Prices Increased in 2025.” But the data discussed in the piece tells a more nuanced and far less alarming story for consumers. According to the Federal Communications Commission Urban Rate Survey data cited by Benton, price declines were widespread across the plans most households actually use. “Prices for mid-tier plans...declined 8.5% in real terms between 2024 and 2025,” said Benton Senior Fellow John Horrigan, and “lower tier plans also witnessed price declines” of 13.4 percent. The reason the average advertised broadband price appears to rise is clearly acknowledged. The increase is driven by the growing availability and adoption of “expensive high-speed plans … driving up average broadband prices.” This could suggest a voluntary shift by a subset of consumers toward ultra-high-speed premium offerings, not an across-the-board increase in the cost of internet service. And even this apparent phenomenon is by no means definitive. Looking at FCC data from 2024 and 2025, the actual average rates paid for some ultra-high-speed plans (e.g., 500/50 Mbps, 2000/1000 Mbps) have decreased, not increased.