Ouch. Broadband study casts cable as 'the new copper'

It's clear that US cable operators are struggling to return to broadband subscriber growth amid slow housing formation, a sluggish moving market and competition from fiber and fixed wireless access (FWA). That's not going to change soon, according to new research. Amid ongoing network upgrades, tier 1 operators such as Comcast and Charter Communications have been trying to staunch subscriber losses with service bundles featuring mobile and multi-year price locks while expanding their footprints with new fiber network builds. But they've acknowledged that turning the tide will take time. While they believe they'll return to broadband subscriber growth eventually, they aren't predicting when that might happen. A new broadband trends study from New Street Research indicates that US cable isn't likely to be in the broadband black during this decade. While cable broadband losses are expected to improve, New Street doesn't see cable broadband subscriber trends going positive for at least another four to five years. Cable "is the new copper," New Street Research analysts David Barden and Vikash Harlalka explained.