FCC Paper Finds Broadband Speeds About Half of Level Advertised
The FCC found the average residential broadband speed in the U.S. to be about 4 Mbps, versus typical advertised speeds of 7-8 Mbps, in a paper made public Monday. Advertised speeds don’t take into account factors such as congestion and degradation of service over a connection, the commission said. They also don’t take into account matters on the subscriber’s end like slow computers and underperforming routers. Website performance also can reduce broadband speed, said the FCC.
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The FCC paper did not address broadband reclassification, but it concluded that consumers “need a better, publicly agreed-upon measure of broadband performance that reflects the network operation and end-user experience.” The National Broadband Plan says the FCC should develop broadband measurement standards to address this issue, it said, with help from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, consumer groups, industry and other technical experts.
"In the U.S. we pay far more for slower broadband than an increasing number of nations around the world,” New America Foundation analyst Benjamin Lennett said Tuesday. “Add to that, consumers appear to rarely even get the speeds their providers advertise, and it underscores the need for substantial policy intervention by the FCC."
"Increasing transparency and disclosure requirements to protect consumers and increase competition is yet another example of the need for the FCC to move forward quickly with resolving its oversight over broadband access services,” Lennett said. “Without reclassification, consumers will continue to be left in the dark about their broadband services.”