New data show three states are making strides
New data show three states are making strides toward increasing broadband access. Texas, Minnesota and Iowa show promising results, according to reports released last week from their state-specific Connected Nation organizations. Minnesota is closer to its state-prescribed broadband access goal…
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of 10 Mbps download/6 Mbps upload fixed broadband speeds for the entire state by 2015. The state is now at 69.19 percent access, Connect Minnesota said (http://bit.ly/11xqv11). Minnesota announced “95.80% of ... households can access fixed broadband at speeds of at least 3 Mbps download/768 Kbps upload -- the speed threshold used by the FCC in making Connect America Fund determinations; if mobile is included, 99.67% of households have access at this speed tier.” Connected Texas highlighted the “significant” bump in the availability of 768 kbps/200 kbps fixed wireless broadband over the last six months -- from 69.1 percent last October to 80.68 percent now (http://bit.ly/15TkBIz). The organization attributed the rise to “several factors including network expansion (installation of additional towers), increased provider participation, and field validations that led to data inclusion for several non-participating providers.” Connected Texas Executive Director Don Shirley pointed out in a statement that the state still needs “access to much higher speeds in place across the state,” the data showing that 34.16 percent of Texas households have access to service of at least 100 Mbps down/1.5 Mbps up and no households have access to gigabit speeds. Connect Iowa showcased a rise in available speeds throughout the urban and rural parts of the state. “In fact, 6.37% more households have access to broadband service of 10 Mbps download/1.5 Mbps upload (including mobile wireless) now than just six months ago,” it said (http://bit.ly/11Kail4), a number that’s now 90 percent of households. In Iowa, only 3.93 percent of households have access to 100 Mbps down/1.5 Mbps up, not counting mobile and satellite services.