New Internet Access Data from FCC

The Federal Communications Commission has detailed data on the number of Internet connections at speeds that approximate the national broadband availability target recommended by the National Broadband Plan. The report focuses on multiple and higher speed tiers, rather than on the FCC's historical categories of "high speed" (any Internet connection with speeds over 200 kilobits per second downstream) or "advanced services."

Report highlights include the following, as of June 2009:

• Out of a total of 71 million fixed - as opposed to mobile - connections to households, only 44% met or exceeded the speed tier that most closely approximates the universal availability target set in the National Broadband Plan of 4 megabits per second (Mbps) downstream and 1 Mbps upstream
• The number of mobile wireless service subscribers with data plans for full Internet access increased by 40% over the first six months of 2009, to 35 million
• Cable modem connections increased by 3% to 41 million and aDSL by 1% to 31 million in the first six months of 2009
• A 23% increase in fiber connections, to 4 million, was the largest rate of increase among fixed-location technologies
• Satellite Internet connections increased by 6% to 1 million