The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released its most recent report on access in the United States to high-speed Internet connections, documenting for the first time the gap between current service levels and the benchmark Internet connection speeds recommended under the Commission’s National Broadband Plan.
According to the Commission’s report, entitled “Internet Access Services: Status as of June 2009,” only 44% of fixed Internet connections to households currently meet or exceed the speed tier that most closely approximates the target set in the National Broadband Plan of 4 megabits per second (Mbps) downstream and 1 Mpbs upstream.
However, the number of mobile wireless service subscribers with data plans for full Internet access increase by 40% over the first six months of 2009, to 35 million.
Regarding fixed location technologies providing high-speed Internet access, cable modem connections increased by 3%, to 41 million, aDSL connections increased by 1%, to 31 million, and fiber connections increased by 23%, to 4 million (the largest rate of increase among fixed-location technologies). Satellite Internet connections increase by 6%, to 1 million.
Read the complete text of the Commission’s report on high-speed Internet access.
