Policy Brief: Internet Service Competition in CA and the Capital Region (2021)

This policy brief presents an analysis of the internet service market and providers choices (number of ISPs) serving residential customers in California and the Connected Capital Area Broadband Consortium (CCABC) Region, and its implications on cost and quality of service.

This analysis is based on broadband availability data from the California Public Utilities Commission from 2020 (as of December 2019). Findings of our analysis are that in California, the vast majority of the population (near 87%), households, and housing units, have access to two or less choices of ISPs, which indicates a concentrated and non-competitive market. Furthermore, analyzing the number of internet choices, in areas served at different speed standards, nearly all population (high nineties percent) have access to two or less choices of ISPs.