As part of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) 2015 Broadband Progress Report, the FCC has recently voted to change the definition of broadband by raising the minimum download speeds needed from 4 megabits per second (Mbps) to 25 Mbps, and the minimum upload speed from 1 Mbps to 3 Mbps.
Under this new definition, the report finds that 55 million Americans lack access to advanced broadband, which includes over half of all rural Americans. Other key findings of the report include two-thirds of residents living on Tribal lands and in U.S. territories lack access to today’s speeds. It also reports 35 percent of schools across the nation lack access to high-speed fiber connection.
Along with the report and new definition, the FCC also released a notice of inquiry asking how it can accelerate broadband. More information about the FCC’s broadband definition and report can be found here.