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Amid increasing costs and competition, electric cooperatives in broadband are steadily expanding their deployment of the fastest, most reliable internet service and delivering a top-notch customer experience, the 2025 Rural Broadband Benchmarking Report finds.
“The new report shows electric co-ops undoubtedly are providing market-leading speeds at affordable prices with the best customer service out there,” said NRECA Broadband Director Cliff Johnson.
NRECA and NRTC have been benchmarking co-op broadband since 2020 and in this latest report note significant strides in deployment. Data on net promoter scores, the metric for customer loyalty, was collected for the first time, and the results were extraordinary: Co-ops captured a median NPS of 88, far exceeding the -3 median NPS of competing internet service providers.
Other key findings include:
- Fiber is co-ops’ overwhelming choice for broadband and smart grid.
- Co-ops are expanding their networks beyond their electric service territories and benefiting their communities.
- Deployment costs and competition continue to increase.
Nearly 80 electric co-ops from across 29 states responded to the report’s survey. Most ranged in size from 10,000 to 50,000 meters.
Although costs per aerial mile of fiber are up more than 50%, most co-ops said they are expanding their operations and 89% noted economic benefits in their communities resulting from their broadband build, the report said. About 85% of the co-ops that have been in broadband for more than two years are seeing population growth in their electric territory.
Co-ops in the broadband business for more than five years are averaging “take rates” or subscriptions at a healthy 50% or even higher, despite greater competition from other internet providers, the report said.
“Co-ops are achieving impressive take rates and customer loyalty, demonstrating the power of community-focused service,” said Greg Santoro, senior vice president and chief marketing and strategy officer at NRTC.
Most co-ops provide the fastest service available for residential and commercial customers. At least 64% are using XGS-PON or 10-gigabit PON (passive optical network), and 2-gigabit residential plans are on the rise.
The report also found that co-ops are adding more smart grid applications to their networks and about 81% are connecting substations and other devices with fiber.
“We’re encouraged by the growing number of co-ops who are leveraging their broadband network to support smart grid applications—another way our members remain in the forefront on technology to benefit their member-consumers,” Santoro said.
“More than 240 electric co-ops are using fiber optics for broadband and smart technologies to boost grid reliability and better serve their members,” Brian O’Hara, NRECA senior regulatory director, added.
“This benchmark update will assist co-ops to better understand changes in technology, costs and the competitive environment as they continue to grow their fiber networks.”
