Broadband internet is becoming common and prevalent, especially in the developed nations. Some nations, such as South Korea and Japan, have been able to achieve a very high broadband penetration. However, a new FCC report shows that US still has a long way to go on this front.
A new report by Federal Communications Commission shows that there are millions of Americans who still have no access to broadband internet. Out of 314 million of the total U.S. population, nearly 19 million Americans simply have no option to purchase a broadband internet connection. Another 100 million Americans don’t make use of broadband internet, even when they have the option to do so.
To be clear, FCC defines a broadband internet connection as one which offers 4Mbps download and 1Mbps upload speeds.
Other similar reports in the past have also cited that the U.S. is nowhere near the top of the list when it comes to broadband penetration. As per the observation of International Telecommunications Union last year, U.S. was 15th on the list of countries in terms of broadband penetration rates. The average number for U.S. was 27.6 whereas Netherlands was at the top of the list with 38.1 subscribers per every 100 inhabitants.
Naturally, much of the American populace that doesn’t have access to broadband or doesn’t make use of it even when it is available, hails from rural and tribal regions. Internet has still to become an integral part of people’s lives in these regions and thus, a slow broadband penetration is being witnessed. However, it is hoped that with LTE connectivity across mobile platform, internet access and usage will be bolstered even in such areas.
Source: FCC
Courtesy: Arstechnica
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