Main points
- Advances in Internet technology have prompted the FCC to redefine broadband: it is now set at 100Mbps download and 20Mbps upload speeds.
- As technology advances in the United States, the FCC hopes to make 1Gbps/500Mbps connections the new standard for broadband.
- The FCC report found that 24 million Americans lack fixed broadband, with rural and tribal areas hardest hit. The new regulations aim to improve access.
Do you know what “broadband” is? For a while, the FCC believed that a connection with a download speed of 25Mbps and an upload speed of 3Mbps could be promoted as a “broadband connection.” This was set in 2015, which may have been a good benchmark at the time; however, while internet technology and Wi-Fi routers have advanced since then, the definition has remained the same. Now, just before the issue lay dormant for a decade, the FCC issued a statement declaring that any internet connection with speeds less than 100Mbps download and 20Mbps upload is no longer legally considered a broadband connection.
ASUS RT-AX57 review: A great value router with gigabit connectivity
The ASUS RT-AX57 is a compact AX3000 Wi-Fi 6 router that’s fast enough for small households, with internet speeds up to gigabit.
The definition of “broadband” in the United States urgently needs an upgrade
The news was revealed in a document released today by the Federal Communications Commission. In a PDF document titled “FCC Raises Broadband Speed Benchmark,” the regulator states the following:
The commission’s report under Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 increases the commission’s high-speed fixed broadband benchmarks to 100 megabits per second download speeds and 20 megabits per second upload speeds, a fourfold improvement over previous speeds . 25/3 Mbps benchmark established by the Commission in 2015.
The FCC said this new limit was chosen based on customer demand and the capabilities of internet providers. However, the FCC believes that the US Internet system can go further; its goal is to make 1Gbps/500Mbps connections the new standard for broadband in the future.
FCC report finds U.S. internet infrastructure lacking
The news is cause for celebration for people tired of slow internet, but the report also details the FCC’s view on the current progress of internet rollout in the United States. As it turns out, it’s not too happy:
The report concludes that advanced telecommunications capabilities
no
Deployment in a reasonable and timely manner based on the total number of Americans who lack this capability, those in rural areas, and those living on tribal lands, and the fact that these deployment gaps are not closing quickly enough.
The report found that 24 million Americans do not have access to non-satellite “fixed terrestrial broadband services,” including 28 percent of people in rural areas and 23 percent of people in tribal areas. 45 million Americans do not have access to a 100Mbps/20Mbps Internet connection or a 35/3Mbps 5G connection, and 9% of Americans do not meet the above 5G requirements. Therefore, the FCC’s new regulations are expected to prompt U.S. ISPs to speed up efforts to get the country connected.