FCC raises 'broadband' standards to 'downstream 100Mbps: upstream 20Mbps'

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced an increase in broadband speed standards on Thursday, March 14, 2024. Under the new standards, communication services with a download rate of 100 Mbps or more and an uplink rate of 20 Mbps or more will be considered 'broadband.'

FCC Increases Broadband Speed Benchmark | Federal Communications Commission
https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-increases-broadband-speed-benchmark

The FCC positions high-speed fixed-line services as ``broadband,'' and in 2015 announced standards for considering fixed-line services that have a communication speed of ``25 Mbps or more downlink: 3 Mbps or more uplink'' to be considered broadband.

The situation surrounding communication lines continues to change significantly, and the line speeds demanded by users are also increasing. Therefore, the FCC announced on March 14, 2024 (Thursday) that it will raise the broadband standards to ``downstream 100Mbps or more: upstream 20Mbps or more''. Furthermore, the FCC has set a long-term goal of raising broadband standards to ``1 Gbps or more for downloading and 500 Mbps or more for uploading'' in the future.

Although the FCC has raised broadband standards, it acknowledges that there are disparities related to communication lines in the United States. Specifically, the following disparities exist.

- Approximately 24 million Americans do not have access to landline landline service. This includes a decline of around 28% for people living in rural areas and around 23% for people living on indigenous land.
・Approximately 9% of all Americans, approximately 36% of people living in rural areas, and approximately 20% of people living on indigenous lands have physical access to 5G communication with a speed of 350 Mbps or more for downlinks and 3 Mbps or more for uplinks. not deployed in
・Approximately 45 million Americans cannot access both broadband (100 Mbps or more downlink: 20 Mbps or more uplink) and 5G communication (350 Mbps or more downlink: 3 Mbps or more uplink).
・It shows an indicator for installing 1Gbps internet lines in schools nationwide, but only 74% have achieved it.

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