Measuring Broadband America Plan

The Federal Communications Commission conducted the first nationwide test of residential wireline broadband service finding that:

• For most major broadband providers, actual speeds are generally 80%-90% of advertised speeds or better, although performance varies by technology and service provider.
• Even during peak usage periods -- between 7:00 pm and 11:00 pm on weeknights, when more home users are online and service quality declines -- most major broadband providers deliver actual speeds that are 80% of advertised speeds or better.
• That’s significantly better than a study of 2009 broadband performance in the U.S. and a recent study of broadband performance in the UK, both of which found actual speeds were roughly 50% of advertised.
• All technologies measured – DSL, cable, and fiber-to-the-home broadband – can deliver good service to consumers depending on their needs.
• While download speed is the major factor affecting service performance, upload speed and latency (lag time in transmitting data) also matter for some applications.
• Increased speed improves performance, but with some limits. For basic Web browsing -- viewing
• web pages but not downloading or streaming online video -- performance improves as speeds increase, but only up to ~10 Mbps. However, high-demand applications like video conferencing, HD video streaming, gaming, or multiple activities occurring within one household may benefit from very high speeds.
• Sascha Meinrath, Director of the New America Foundation's Open Technology Initiative, said: "The FCC's report documents considerable variation among ISP’s advertised speeds and actual broadband speeds. According to the report, a select few providers appear to be meeting their advertised speeds, but, most others are failing to do so. What the FCC's report makes clear is that there is an immediate need for disclosure and transparency to consumers regarding the expected performance of the Internet services they are purchasing."