A new report from USTelecom says broadband prices are down and speeds are up, and that the trend has been continuing for the past decade. But whether these numbers reflect budgeting reality for everyday consumers is in question.

The sixth edition of USTelecom’s Broadband Pricing Index (BPI) found that 56% of households choose broadband plans with download speeds of 100–940Mbps, while more than a quarter opt for speeds faster than 1Gbps.

Real prices for broadband are down 53.4% since 2015, according to the metrics cited in the report. This year alone, they dropped 8.4% (accounting for inflation).

The report used data from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and its proprietary BPI figures to calculate the price changes. It surveyed 14 providers and three technology types — fiber, DSL, and cable internet — but left out fixed wireless internet (including the increasingly popular 5G home internet products offered by T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T).

The study didn’t account for add-ons like equipment prices or discounts for bundling, and didn’t compare actual speeds to advertised speeds.

Authors of the report pointed to what they call a central finding: “Broadband remains one of the few major consumer services that consistently delivers greater value for less money over time.”

That statement may have some merit regarding relative prices decreasing over time, but it doesn’t mean actual consumer bills have gone down

Instead, it simply means prices per gigabit of speed have gone down, and so have broadband prices relative to the cost of other consumer goods.

Doug Dawson, president of CGG Consulting, wrote a blog criticizing the USTelecom broadband report. “No consumer thinks about their broadband bill as a cost per megabit, but USTelecom is making its claim based on that,” he wrote.

Dawson pointed to price increases between 2015 and 2025 from Verizon, AT&T, Charter, and Comcast. He added that customers have been switching to fixed wireless specifically to save money.