I think anything short of that shortchanges our children, our future and our new digital economy."
At the time, 55 million Americans lacked access to 25/3Mbps speeds.
It also helps us better identify the extent to which low-income neighborhoods and rural communities are underserved.
The new broadband definition could affect how state and federal funding is used to expand broadband services.
The FCC voted 3-2 to adopt the new standard, with the two Republican commissioners dissenting.
In an era of videoconferencing and smart homes, the current FCC decided that was no longer true.
Zoom, for instance,requires upload speedsof 3Mbps or higher.
The FCCs definition considers the speeds delivered to your home.
Because most devices are connected through Wi-Fi, the actual speeds they receive arent quite as fast.
CNETs extensive testing ofWi-Fi routershas found that Wi-Fi generally delivers about half the speed of a wired connection.
In many cases, the difference iseven more pronounced.
The FCC also set a long-term goal of increasing the benchmark to 1,000Mbps download and 500Mbps upload speed.
Right now, theaverage internet speed in the USis 242/31Mbps, compared to 198/23Mbps a year ago.
But for now, the FCC is ensuring everyone can at least make video calls.
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