Broadband services approach advertised speeds

(AP) -- New government data find that the nation's major broadband providers deliver Internet connections that are generally 80 percent to 90 percent of maximum advertised speeds.

The data were released Tuesday by the Federal Communications Commission. They show that the three most popular wired broadband technologies in the U.S. - DSL, cable modems and fiber-optic connections - all do a good job of delivering speeds promised to consumers, even during peak usage periods.

The findings are based on an FCC study of residential Internet service offered by 13 of the largest broadband providers in the U.S., including AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc., Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable Inc. The study measured Internet speeds delivered to thousands of subscribers in March.

The study didn't look into speeds provided by wireless services.

©2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.