How US Internet service might get better—and worse—in 2014

How US Internet service might get better—and worse—in 2014

Dec 26th 2013, 13:15, by Jon Brodkin

Aurich Lawson / Thinkstock

2013, like just about every year before it, was the year nearly all of us complained about our Internet service.
"It's too slow!" we said. "Too expensive!" And we were generally right, as a study by the New America Foundation's Open Technology Institute found that US consumers pay more for slower servicethan counterparts in other countries.
But 2013 wasn't just more of the same—there were big developments that make 2014 worth watching, for good and bad reasons. Inspired by Google Fiber, cities are increasingly looking for ways to get their own fiber networks and give the US broadband market much-needed competition. On the potentially bad side of the equation, a legal challenge to network neutrality laws by Verizon could further degrade competition, particularly in streaming video.