46 Percent of US Households Fall Below National Broadband Goals
A new report from Connected Nation found that average broadband speed in about one third of all U.S. counties does not meet the broadband goals set by the National Broadband Plan.
The 32.18 percent of counties that received a failing grade contain roughly 46 percent of all U.S. households. Only 115 counties - many of which are among the most populous counties in the nation — already meet all of the national broadband goals.
The data come from the Broadband Readiness Index, a reporting tool that assesses the progress of every county in America towards achieving the broadband benchmarks of the NBP. Updated every six months, the Index helps to illustrate the progress of local regions in upgrading their broadband and highlights areas failing to meet standards.
The current NBP benchmarks call for:
Universal access today to broadband at 3Mbit/s download and 768kbit/s upload speeds; 98 per cent availability of mobile wireless service; and 85 per cent availability of access to 50Mbit/s fixed networks.
To meet the broadband challenges faced by nearly half of all American homes, we will need to invest in stronger networks, find new ways of attracting high-speed build out, and focus on public-private partnerships to close our broadband gap.
Tools like the Broadband Readiness Index from Speed Matters' partner Connected Nation and the Speed Matters Internet Speed Test, can help make more individuals and communities aware of their broadband needs and help them to take action.
46 per cent of US households don’t meet National Broadband goals (TelecomTV News)
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