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Average internet speed in the United States falls to 3.8 MBPS

In its State of the Internet Report, Akamai reported that the average internet speed in the United States fell to 3.8 megabytes per second in the fourth quarter 2009 from 4.7 MBPS in the third quarter.

It seems surprising that internet speeds in the U.S. fall as broadband speed and availability have increased and become political issues. However, Akamai believes that the use of mobile broadband explains the falling numbers.

"Overall, we do not believe that this data is necessarily indicative of significant problems with the broadband infrastructure in the United States, nor do we believe that it points to insufficient availability of broadband services," Akamai wrote in its report. "Rather, as mentioned previously, we believe that mobile usage at sub-broadband speeds has grown to the point where it is exerting some amount of influence over the average data."

The number places the U.S. 22nd in the world in average internet speed. South Korea still maintains the fastest internet speed in the world.

On March 17, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced the National Broadband Plan, which called for, among other things, national access to high-speed broadband.

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