Back in 2010, the Federal Communications Commission ruled that broadband would be defined by having a download speed of 4Mbps and an upload speed of 1Mbps minimum. However, the internet has experienced an exponential growth and an increase in media consumption. As a result, the FCC has voted to change the definition of broadband by increasing the minimum download speed to 25Mbps and the minimum upload speed to 3Mbps.
The change in definition was announced alongside the publishing of the FCC’s 2015 Broadband Progress Report which reveals, under the new benchmark, that 17 percent (55 million people) of all Americans do not have access to 25Mbps/3Mbps speeds. In addition, the report states that around 35 percent of schools lack access to fiber and, in turn, would likely lack access to broadband speeds of 100Mbps per 1,000 users.
“While significant progress in broadband deployment has been made, due in part to the Commission’s action to support broadband through its Universal Service programs, these advances are not occurring broadly enough or quickly enough, the report finds,” reads a statement on the FCC’s website. “The report concludes that more work needs to be done by the private and public sectors to expand robust broadband to all Americans in a timely way, and the accompanying Notice of Inquiry seeks comment on what additional steps the FCC can take to accelerate broadband deployment.”
