Comcast, Time Warner Cable get 71 Percent of new Internet subscribers

Comcast and Time Warner Cable are dominating the market for new wireline Internet subscribers in the US, with AT&T and Verizon lagging far behind. Cable already had a majority of the broadband market, even when you count slow DSL as "broadband," and that majority is growing. "Comcast and Time Warner Cable led the growth in US broadband subscriptions during the third quarter, adding a combined 552,000 new subscribers," Strategy Analytics wrote. "Overall, cable operators in the US added 804,000 subscribers. However, the total number of US broadband subscribers only increased by 679,000 due to losses in DSL and slower growth in Fiber subscriptions at AT&T and Verizon. Over the past twelve months, Comcast and Time Warner Cable have accounted for 71 percent of the 3 million new broadband subscribers."

Among the 19 US Internet providers tracked by the research firm, Comcast alone accounted for 42 percent of new subscribers in the past year. AT&T lost 129,000 Internet subscribers in the most recent quarter, bringing its total down to 15.8 million, while Verizon gained 2,000 customers for a total of 9.2 million, reported Leichtman Research Group.