How Many Broadband Providers Does Your Zipcode Have?

For grins--or groans--I researched the FCC's broadband statistics to find out how many broadband providers my 16870 zip code has. Nine! See http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/Reports/FCC-State_Link/IAD/hzip0606.pdf

I live in a mostly suburban/rural area about six miles from Penn State University. Verizon cannot or will not offer DSL to me, but they apparently serve someone--perhaps a school or library. I can get cable modem service and the FCC must also have counted cellular even though the promised 60-80 kilobits per second does not meet the low bar of 200 kbps established by the FCC. Add satellite service so I guess it's possible that we can get to 9.

The problem with this figure is that one might infer a vigorous facilities-based competitive marketplace exists in my hinterland locale.

No way.