WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Federal Communications Commission has raised its benchmark for broadband speeds to 25 megabits per second for downloads and 3 megabits per second for uploads, to reflect consumer demand, market offering by service providers and advances in technology.
This marks a quantum jump from the previous standard set in 2010 that stipulated speeds of 4 Mbps for downloads and 1 Mbps for uploads.
The change came as the FCC adopted its 2015 Broadband Progress Report.
Taking into account the updated speed benchmark, the 2015 report finds that 55 million Americans, or 17% of the population, lack access to advanced broadband.
The report also found a significant digital divide between urban and rural America. More than half of all rural Americans (53%) lack access to 25 Mbps/3 Mbps service, while only 8% of urban Americans does not have access to advanced broadband.
The report said that the private and public sectors need to do more in order to expand robust broadband to all Americans in a timely way.
Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires the FCC to report annually on whether broadband 'is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion,' and to take 'immediate action' if it is not.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said, 'No doubt, we have seen improvements in our wired and wireless broadband infrastructure that are delivering real benefits for our economy and the American people. But remember what Congress asked: are 'advanced telecommunications . being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion?' The first step to answering that question is to define 'advanced telecommunications' in 2015. As this report makes clear, it ain't what it used to be.'
'While cable network Internet speeds already meet and exceed the FCC's new broadband description, we are troubled that the Commission majority has arbitrarily chosen a definition of broadband in its Section 706 report that ignores how millions of consumers currently access the Internet. Instead of an accurate assessment of America's broadband marketplace and the needs and uses of consumers, the FCC action is industrial policy that is not faithful to Congress's direction in Section 706 to assess the market, but a clear effort to justify and expand the bounds of the FCC's own authority,' the National Cable & Telecommunications Association said in a statement.
According to the Ookla Net Index, the United States ranks 26th in terms of consumer download speeds. Singapore tops the list followed by Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan.
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