FCC Bumps Baseline Broadband Definition To 25Mbps

[scolaner]

The FCC voted to raise the minimum standard for what constitutes "broadband" Internet speeds to 25Mbps, up from 4Mbps.

FCC Bumps Baseline Broadband Definition To 25Mbps : Read more

 

[Guest]

This has not been confirmed by the FCC, and the link to the yearly FCC Broadband Report above does not include the word 'vote' or discuss any such vote of any kind.

 

[Onus]

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jan/29/fcc-increases-broadband-speed-threshold

I'd say this is real. I have mixed feelings about it. To the extent that it addresses claims by ISPs that amount to false advertising, I'm in favor. To the extent that setting Internet speeds is not a Government job, I'm opposed to some of the likely effects. Make ISPs accurately report their speeds, but that's it.

 

[kenjitamura]

I sure hope this is real. There are still lots of areas in Salt Lake City where the highest speeds Centurylink provide for their DSL is 7mbps down and 768 kbps up. And they're charging $50 a month for that ridiculously low speed.

 

[ArgleBargle2015]

@celrak: It certainly has. Your search skills suck. http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2015/db0129/DOC-331760A1.pdf

 

[targetdrone]

You know what this means righ?. More taxes to get the newly broadbandless subsided service.

 

[IInuyasha74]

In writing our article we used a live broadcast. The video is now available to watch with some documents below.
http://www.fcc.gov/events/open-commission-meeting-january-2015

You can see the vote in the video and has been official passed by the FCC. We just didn't have that listed in the original source because it has just now been posted and was not up for view immediately after the end of the broadcast.

 

[stevo777]

Way to cover up the third most populous state in the nation and a couple of others with the key--brilliant

 

[skit75]

So.... you thought you had Broadband huh?

"Incoming pressure wave of air followed by a Slap-CRACK > POW!"

Not anymore you don't !

 

[chuge_SO]

Speed is one thing. Bandwidth caps are another. So that's great that 80% of Americans can reach their caps that much faster, but until we address all aspects of data consumption what have we really accomplished?

 

[DookieDraws]

I'm just waiting on the news that Comcast will be significantly dropping the price of their services, especially their Internet service. All those in favor, vote up!!!!

 

[skit75]

I'm just waiting on the news that Comcast will be significantly dropping the price of their services, especially their Internet service. All those in favor, vote up!!!!

"That's not how this works..... that's not how any of this works!"

-Beatrice

 

[rayden54]

Unless they're actually willing to do anything to make broadband available to those people who don't get it, then they're just wasting their time. I'd much rather they make sure everyone meets the old minimum before they worry about increasing it. I didn't get broadband under the 4 Mbps definition. I highly doubt I'm gonna get it now.

If anything, I see this making it worse for people like me. It gives businesses (like Netflix or online games) an excuse to up their minimum requirements without doing anything to help people meet them. It's bad enough PC games are starting to hit 50 GB.

For the record, I live about 5 miles from the city limits. Because of that my only option for "high speed internet" is 3 Mbps (~1.8 Mbps actual) at $40/month. I can't even get 3G. I went from having about half the minimum speed to a little more than two percent under the new standard.

 

[mrmez]

Hilarious!

I'm happy to get 1Mb/s in Australia on ADSL.
4G on the other hand I've gotten well over 80Mb/s

 

[BrandonYoung]

We live 5 miles outside city limits, which is roughly 3 miles past the DSL limits. We don't even have access to cable (TV or Internet). Our only option is Satellite (10GB/month) or dial-up. Our Satellite provider drops our download speeds to 16KBps after we exceed our 10GB/month limit. Sadly when this happens web pages time out, and it makes it hard for us to conduct business/homework from home. I would love to see some option of earth bound (cable/DSL) reach us at some date. I would be ecstatic with 2 mbps of unlimited download, 25 mbps would make me drool.

 

[bak0n]

All this will do is make it so Comcast is able to say they have the most broadband of any provider and keep companies like ATT from saying it in advert. It will most likely do nothing to improve speeds. Which is good for my Cmcsk stock but really a back room deal full of shadiness. 6

 

[mrmez]

16Kb/s LOL. It would be faster to get somebody to print websites and post them to you.

Aus started getting fibre many many years ago.
Once laid, a local council turned around and said:
"Thanks very much, but now your cables are in our ground, you need to pay rent, or pull them out."
That obviously put a permanent halt to everything.
Now, we have a highly ambitious government sanctioned National Broadband Network doing much the same, with speeds up to 100Mb/s. Plenty of newer suburbs are entirely covered, but a lot of older higher density areas, especially close to the city will only see construction completed in 2020-2025!

The worst part... they've completed construction literally half a block from us!

 

[fudoka711]

Dang, I am now part of that 17%.

And I thought it was great when I finally moved up to 12mbps from 6.

 

[digitaldoc]

Just because it is available, does not mean it is affordable.

The fastest broadband I can get in my area is Verizon Fios 500/500. However, at $285/month I do not have this, and neither does anyone else I know. Why don't we address bringing this price out of the stratosphere?

 

[mrmez]

$300/m for 500Mb/s seems cheap to me.

Not saying it's affordable or that i'd pay for it, but considering I pay close to $100USD/m for 1Mb/s, it's an absolute bargain.

 

[MisterZ]

Broadband is any speed that's faster than dial-up. ISDN is even broadband.

 

[spp85]

I think India have the worst average Broadband speed in the world right now by only having 2mbps speed. You guys are all lucky to have such high speed connections.

 

[jasonelmore]

20% have less than 25 Mbps?!?!?! thats insane. It's more like 40% have less than 25 Mbps. You cannot count Mobile Wireless Broadband that has strict 3 GB a month caps. In my area, only 30% have access to cable, and DSL is over populated so much that all new DSL customers are mandated to a 1 Mbps Line, (previously 3 Mbps) The DSL company just wont invest any money in infrastructure.

Just look at the map tom's posted. Look at all the Blue. The Blue is people WITHOUT.

The Yellow is People WITH.

Judging by the map its 75% WITHOUT and 25% WITH

America's internet system is so messed up

 

[MarkW]

CenturyLink in Salt Lake City is probably shaking in their boots right now. Not only due to this vote, but Google Fiber is very likely to be a coming.

 

[hang-the-9]

I think very few people actually used the term "broadband" with knowing what the speed actually was. To everyone "broadband" was "not 56k modem". It will likely still be that.