#10: Carroll Gardens, Columbia Heights, and Red Hook
Density of broadband provider competition in Carrol Gardens and Red Hook
90th Percentile Average speed: 150.14 Mbps Fastest Recorded Speed: 531.37 Mbps Tech Presence: The Red Hook area was traditionally more blue-collar industrial than blue-flip-flops tech sector, but that’s changing as some larger office spaces in Dumbo throw in the towel on rising rents and embrace a cheaper, more down-to-earth neighborhood. Innovation Studios, Stink Studios, and other creative groups and agencies have already moved shop to enjoy the waterfront. Co-Working Spaces:
Internet Providers:
- Charter Spectrum
- Verizon
- Verizon Fios
- Fairpoint Communications
- Windstream
Want to know how the rest of the Brooklyn neighborhoods fared? See the following chart from Brighton Beach to Bedford-Stuyvesant:
| Neighbourhood | 90th Percentile average | Max speed recorded |
|---|---|---|
| Bedford-Stuyvesant | 149.36 | 800.63 |
| Prospect Heights | 147.95 | 663.84 |
| Dyker Heights | 146.93 | 486.71 |
| Canarsie | 137.09 | 308.41 |
| Jamaica Bay | 137.09 | 308.41 |
| Flatlands | 118.97 | 418.61 |
| Kings Plaza | 118.97 | 418.61 |
| Marine Park | 118.97 | 418.61 |
| Mill Basin | 118.97 | 418.61 |
| Parkville | 109.64 | 413.31 |
| Bensonhurst | 109.51 | 413.31 |
| Bath Beach | 109.26 | 391.67 |
| East New York | 108.2 | 291.28 |
| Gravesend | 106.73 | 420.48 |
| Stuyvesant Heights | 106.36 | 191.13 |
| Homecrest | 100.89 | 483.22 |
| Kensington | 100.81 | 641.19 |
| Brooklyn College | 100.5 | 427.84 |
| Vanderveer | 100.5 | 427.84 |
| Cypress Hills | 99.73 | 589.73 |
| Ditmas Park | 98.08 | 641.19 |
| Kings Highway | 96.37 | 483.22 |
| Madison | 96.37 | 483.22 |
| Brower Park | 94.53 | 311.62 |
| Weeksville | 94.53 | 311.62 |
| Brighton Beach | 94.05 | 315.53 |
| Manhattan Beach | 94.05 | 315.53 |
| Sheepshead Bay | 94.05 | 315.53 |
| Sunset Park | 93.81 | 430 |
| Bushwick | 91.02 | 606.97 |
| Midwood | 90.51 | 492.47 |
| Borough Park | 89.96 | 446.4 |
| Crown Heights | 85.87 | 311.62 |
| Coney Island | 85.3 | 304.02 |
| Sea Gate | 85.3 | 304.02 |
| Brownsville | 84.54 | 204.78 |
| East Flatbush | 84.1 | 543.58 |
| Greenwood | 80.96 | 380.01 |
| Industry City/Bush Terminal | 80.96 | 380.01 |
| Flatbush | 74.3 | 501.84 |
| Prospect Lefferts Gardens | 65.58 | 260.7 |
| Prospect Park South | 59.39 | 501.84 |
| Starrett City | 54.27 | 175.8 |
A quick note about this data: speed test results are sourced from M-Labs, known for partnering with Google’s search default speed test tool. Their results are widely regarded as the most accurate and least biased publicly available. Since M-Labs speed tests are categorized by zip codes, we’ve grouped some neighborhoods that share zip codes together, and combined zip codes to form approximate boundaries for others. While not exact, this method gives a reasonably accurate idea of speeds in each neighborhood. The results shown here were pulled from dates between May 2016–April 2017. Most zip codes had between 1,000–4,000 recorded tests in that time range.
Data Suggests Brooklyn Internet is Improving
What the situation with Verizon FiOS and other incumbent Internet providers in Brooklyn has been a major frustration for longtime residents, the future for the city does actually look favorable — even with mergers of major companies in mind. Brooklyn’s Kings County is the only county in the state with 100% access to 25 Mbps “true broadband” as defined by the FCC: Keep in mind that this is a bit misleading, however, since some of that “access” costs hundreds of dollars per month — more than residents in less lucky neighborhoods can likely afford. Those left in the dark are stuck with slow, capped solutions like mobile hotspots or tethered 3G plans. That said, the future of connectivity in Brooklyn is promising and has been improving. Technologies like 5G are right around the corner, which could potentially compete with wired Internet in some areas. Wireless companies like Starry are already experimenting with innovative ways to bring home internet to consumers in markets like Boston without relying on traditional cable networks, leapfrogging cable monopolies in urban environments. Meanwhile, Elon Musk is promising to release low-orbit satellite networks that solve the latency problems of traditional satellite internet as soon as 2019. For those of us willing to wait 5 years or so, it seems like Netflix binging will be just a little bit easier. Hopefully, it’ll also become a little bit cheaper.