The FCC voted 3-2 to reclassify the definition of broadband, here's what it means to you

[Shawn Knight]

I no longer have access to broadband at home according to the Federal Communications Commission. As part of its 2015 Broadband Progress report, the FCC has voted 3-2 to drastically raise the minimum connection speeds required to classify as broadband.

Up to this point, the minimum classification for broadband was just 4Mbps down / 1Mbps up which was set in 2010. That’s since been adjusted to 25Mbps down and 3Mbps up. To put the changes into perspective, the average home connection in the US pulls down around 11Mbps.

Under the old guidelines, 6.3 percent of US households didn’t have access to broadband. Following the change, that number skyrockets to 17 percent which is rather embarrassing.

So, what happens next?

ISPs were already up in arms over the proposed change. Their stance is that some customers simply don’t need 25Mbps connections. That’s certainly debatable but the FCC believes customers should at least have the opportunity to own a broadband connection if they want.

Here’s the thing: ISPs will no longer be able to classify services under 25Mbps / 3Mbps as broadband. For some like AT&T, that’ll do a number on their marketing as people will naturally perceive a service as being slow if it’s not classified as broadband.

For the consumer, it’s really a win-win as the reclassification will no doubt boost competition among ISPs. I can’t think of many people that would argue with faster connection speeds for the same price.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/59568-fcc-voted-3-2-reclassify-definition-broadband-here.html

 

[Jim$ter]

They shouldn't count capped cellular 4G as broadband. It skews the numbers and who wants to pay ripoff prices for capped internet.17%? I bet without cellular in the data the numbers would be worse, a lot worse. Only services offering those speeds are cable and fiber. Most people don't have access to fiber so the majority are cable ,and only people in cities can get that. Most everyone else is left with DSL, which usually maxes out at 3-6MB. Or satellite which promises big numbers, but delivers if your lucky, dial-up performance.

 

[Kibaruk]

I'm not sure this is a problem of definition more than it is of names, they should keep the Broadband as "simple" internet connection, and Fiber for the next gen.

 

[JohnCB]

no doubt boost competition among ISPs.

Competition? Among who? The single ISP the majority of us are stuck with due to location contracts that block other providers?

Oh boy, I can't wait to see what kind of amazing deals come out of Comcast vs Comcast vs Comcast

 

[yRaz]

ISPs were already up in arms over the proposed change. Their stance is that some customers simply don’t need 25Mbps connections.

nobody has the right to decide what I need but me. They know damn well what they are doing to their customers. Maybe if we still lived in a time were using the internet was still IRC and forums, but it's not. Today you have multiple people streaming video and music on top of gaming. We don' t live in a time where there is only one computer in the house, we live in a time were just about everyone has their own PC and other devices to go with it. You can't stream HD video, music and game at the same time on 11mbps.

In my house there are 4 people on the internet at all times. My 105mbps connection has a hard time keeping up when everyone is watching Netflix and gaming. I know that I like to stream music when I game and I'm not alone in that. But something that really pisses me off is that Comcast is under no obligation to give me that full 105mbps connection. So while on paper I have 105 down, realistically it is closer to about 40 down at peak hours when the neighborhood lines are congested.

Greedy ****ing telecoms

 

[madboyv1]

Most everyone else is left with DSL, which usually maxes out at 3-6MB. Or satellite which promises big numbers, but delivers if your lucky, dial-up performance.

What I hope this ruling does, in relation to the service areas mentioned in the quoted text is that because of the definition those that live in those service areas will increase the demand for "broadband" service, which in turn will force the bigger ISPs to start laying cable/fiber lines again. I may not be affected by the reclassification (a fairly consistent 50 down and up in my household), but I know friends and family who, because of the reclassification, will hopefully have the access they want because ISPs will have to either expand or upgrade in order to continue selling lower end "broadband."

 

[cmbjive]

You guys sure you want these fools to determine what net neutrality means?

 

[cmbjive]

ISPs were already up in arms over the proposed change. Their stance is that some customers simply don’t need 25Mbps connections.

My 105mbps connection has a hard time keeping up when everyone is watching Netflix and gaming. I know that I like to stream music when I game and I'm not alone in that. But something that really pisses me off is that Comcast is under no obligation to give me that full 105mbps connection. So while on paper I have 105 down, realistically it is closer to about 40 down at peak hours when the neighborhood lines are congested.

Greedy ****ing telecoms

LOL. I only get about 7 Mbs down and I only stream. At any one point in time there is a console, tv, computer, and several tablets running at multiple times or we're streaming four different services on four different tv sets while playing games on my PC.

If you're having problems with a 105 down connection to run all of those services maybe you should question what's going on in your own home and not the "greed" of telecoms.

 

[Evernessince]

So here's my questions, who were the two douchebags who voted against this and think 4 Mbps is enough?

 

[yRaz]

LOL. I only get about 7 Mbs down and I only stream. At any one point in time there is a console, tv, computer, and several tablets running at multiple times or we're streaming four different services on four different tv sets while playing games on my PC.

If you're having problems with a 105 down connection to run all of those services maybe you should question what's going on in your own home and not the "greed" of telecoms.

It's fairly common knowledge that telecoms don't have to give all the bandwidth you're paying for. The fact of the matter is that they throttle my connection when we are trying to use all of it for extender periods of time.

 

[cmbjive]

It's fairly common knowledge that telecoms don't have to give all the bandwidth you're paying for. The fact of the matter is that they throttle my connection when we are trying to use all of it for extender periods of time.

Of course it is. Most people don't even need as much bandwidth as they purchased as they think they do. I thought that I needed to increase my speed because my connection was bumpy for a period of time. Turns out the problem was not my connection, but that several of the streaming services I use had issues with their servers. Simply because you pay for 105Mbps does not mean that you are going to get a constant 105Mbps connection. You should read that small fine print for broadband services because that's exactly what they tell you.

 

[yRaz]

Of course it is. Most people don't even need as much bandwidth as they purchased as they think they do. I thought that I needed to increase my speed because my connection was bumpy for a period of time. Turns out the problem was not my connection, but that several of the streaming services I use had issues with their servers. Simply because you pay for 105Mbps does not mean that you are going to get a constant 105Mbps connection. You should read that small fine print for broadband services because that's exactly what they tell you.

I'm talking about everyone using it having a slow down at the same time because the connection is getting throttled.

If people didn't need these connection speeds the telecoms wouldn't have to throttle them.

 

[Puiu]

I'm so happy that where I live in romania we have no such problems. the smallest connection I can get from my ISP is 100Mbps. 1Gbps costs around 12-16$ and you get free 3G nationwide. (on 200Mbps and up contracts)

Well, this a good first step towards normality for the US. The next step is the abolishment of the laws that restrict competition. Hopefully Obama and the FCC manage to do that.

 

[davislane1]

"Under the old guidelines, 6.3 percent of US households didn’t have access to broadband. Following the change, that number skyrockets to 17 percent which is rather embarrassing."

To whom, exactly? Access to "broadband" is about as critical an issue facing this country as Snickers consumption.

"For the consumer, it’s really a win-win as the reclassification will no doubt boost competition among ISPs. I can’t think of many people that would argue with faster connection speeds for the same price."

That isn't how this works. First, nobody is magically going to receive greater speed at no additional cost. Second, whatever additional expenses or reduced profit margin the providers experience as a result of this decision will be reflected in the prices, terms, and features of their services.

Regulatory changes like this do not surely benefit consumers. They merely force impacted businesses to respond. Those responses have never-and will never-be made in the best interests of the customer.

 

[Guest]

I am on Frontier DSL. I pay for 12Mbps and average about 7Mbps. Yippee!!!

 

[madboyv1]

I am on Frontier DSL. I pay for 12Mbps and average about 7Mbps. Yippee!!!

One of my buddies on DSL would be jealous of you. He gets at best 5 and .5 from Verizon, and he's always at the limit speed wise, not to mention that it is not a very stable connection as Verizon told him that he'll have to regularly restart his modem to reconnect...

 

[psycros]

Maybe the FCC should worry less about the poor folks who have *only* 300mbs service and a bit more about the 20% of the population that can't even get DSL where they live. Incredibly limited, expensive and unreliable satellite and cellar Internet are not legitimate options.

 

[Guest]

Internet costs $70 a month where I live for 5 down /.5 up. Only other options are Verizon and Sprint 4g which is just crap. Needless to say few people have service thru the local ISP or any internet at all.

 

[drjekelmrhyde]

I just called At&t for shiats and giggles and they bumped me up from 18/3 to 25/5 for free.

 

[treetops]

They shouldn't count capped cellular 4G as broadband. It skews the numbers and who wants to pay ripoff prices for capped internet.17%? I bet without cellular in the data the numbers would be worse, a lot worse. Only services offering those speeds are cable and fiber. Most people don't have access to fiber so the majority are cable ,and only people in cities can get that. Most everyone else is left with DSL, which usually maxes out at 3-6MB. Or satellite which promises big numbers, but delivers if your lucky, dial-up performance.

I have 40 down with dsl. It depends on your area, the type of dslams and how far away you are from the dslam.

 

[Guest]

I am also on frontier because that or charter are the only things available to me in Minnesota southern suburbs. I am paying for "12" down and "2" up (which was originally 24/4 then they claimed that plan never existed), I am only receiving maybe 5 down and .2 up...

 

[Cycloid Torus]

Different Definitions of Broadband:

According to my Dad - a large group of females marching with instruments.

According to my friend across the street - a Ham Radio with a sloppy rectifier.

According to ATnT/Verazon/Cromcast, enough bps to send your last email before you finish typing your next one.

Its all in the definition. Hallelujah!

 

[BlueDrake]

Well FCC doesn't control the entire world, so it doesn't matter what they classify things in the US. Other countries might "look" at the example, and then likely dismiss it for any reason. Here I'm paying $60 + an extra $30 for unlimited, being the cap is a ever so blessingly kind 70GB. I'd totally love ISPs to bump up the speed but that actually means, them making an effort to build into places that wouldn't net much benefit.

Being in Canada and a small town at that, I'm at a very low priority to even get past my 15/1. I'd love to have my 15/10 as it's supposed to be rated, but being too far I'm lucky I get the full 15 at least. Also anyone ranting about having 100Mbps+ from a CABLE provider, need to understand it's a shared connection. Cable isn't a single line run to your home, in the same manner as DSL is for connections. So yes you have higher speeds, but you also share the load with anyone else on it too.

I think TechSpot should do a Cable vs DSL vs Fiber comparison, so people would stop making a fuss over it. Just everyone makes the same mistakes, mentioning their cable connection is so slow.

 

[psp100travis]

So does this mean my 20mbps down/2mbps up highspeed turbo broadband internet from Time Warner Cable will get a boost?

 

[Evernessince]

ISPs were already up in arms over the proposed change. Their stance is that some customers simply don’t need 25Mbps connections.

My 105mbps connection has a hard time keeping up when everyone is watching Netflix and gaming. I know that I like to stream music when I game and I'm not alone in that. But something that really pisses me off is that Comcast is under no obligation to give me that full 105mbps connection. So while on paper I have 105 down, realistically it is closer to about 40 down at peak hours when the neighborhood lines are congested.

Greedy ****ing telecoms

LOL. I only get about 7 Mbs down and I only stream. At any one point in time there is a console, tv, computer, and several tablets running at multiple times or we're streaming four different services on four different tv sets while playing games on my PC.

If you're having problems with a 105 down connection to run all of those services maybe you should question what's going on in your own home and not the "greed" of telecoms.

fyi 7 Mbps = 0.875 MB a second so I HIGHLY doubt you are streaming from 4 devices at once unless you are watching super low quality video. You can't even stream 1 HD video on that.