[1st-mile-nm] New FCC Broadband Report

[Richard Lowenberg]

Improving FCC Broadband Data Collection

Yesterday, March 19th, the FCC issued a new report that among many other things,
updates and upgrades its definition of broadband.   A few selected and commented
on items:

     There are now over 100,000,000 high speed connections (as defined by
exceeding 200Kbps in one direction) in service in the United States.   A little
over 60,000,000 are connected to residential dwellings.    Of those connections
only 5.6% have a greater throughput than 25Mbps.
     The total number of connections that have speeds in excess of 100Mbps (in
one direction) is 21,708 (Japan is close to achieving 100% deployment of
100Mbps).
     Over 95% of all lines are serviced by the incumbent telco and cable
providers.
     The FCC has decided that 200Kbps (in only on direction) is no longer a true
definition of broadband, deciding to increase that rate to 768Kbps (comparable
to entry level DSL speed).


The Benton Foundation has an excellent summary of the report, with links to the
FCC site, and comments/reviews from other broadband policy organizations:
www.benton.org/node/10234
www.benton.org/node/10235

The FCC's report, titled "High-Speed Services for Internet Access: Status as of
June 30, 2007" can be downloaded at:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-280906A1.pdf

Commentary from Public Knowledge:
www.publicknowledge.org/node/1464

Another (C/Net) review of this report is at:
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9898118-7.html


-- 
Richard Lowenberg
1st-Mile Institute
P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504
505-989-9110;   505-603-5200 cell
rl at 1st-mile.com  www.1st-mile.com

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