FCC – efforts to increase the speed of Internet in the United States to 100Mbps

23rd February, 2010 by adina
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Julius Genachowski, chairman of FCC, has launched an effort to increase the speed of Internet access in the United States to 100Mbps or even higher. The initiative is named “100 Squared” and would provide at least 100Mbps access speed to about 100 million homes in the United States. Genachowski did not provide a timeline for the rollout of the project but expressed the hope of boosting adoption of broadband from 65 percent to a desired 90 percent.

The National Broadband Plan that is now ongoing is expected to support the initiative and gradually reorient the Universal Service Fund from phone lines to connections through Internet. The chairman of FCC warned that the United States should not stop at this symbolic milestone of 100Mbps and mentioned the Google Fiber with its 1Gbps as a good example given by a motivated private company.

Obstacles exist and they are centered on technology. Cable modem service currently peaks at 25Mbps and is expensive enough at this rate. On the other hand, DOCSIS 3.0 modems are able to reach 100Mbps but they are available only in a few areas and have served only 50Mbps so far. Verizon seems to be the best prepared with the fiber optic FiOS network but more upgrades are necessary to reach the 100Mbps across most of the network.

It is a fact that Internet providers have been traditionally resistant to any intentions of supplying broadband to some rural areas that would be needed to get the 90 percent coverage target. They even went so far as of sponsoring fake grassroots organizations and making frequent lobby in order to discourage mandates for service in the mentioned areas. The awaited 4G is expected to substantially lower the costs of covering a remote area. LTE and similar may provide access speeds much less than the required 100Mbps.


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