As announced by its chairwoman, Jessica Rosenworcel, the Commission's goal is to increase the broadband speed standard in the country to 100 Mbps for download and 20 Mbps for upload. The current standard is at 25 and 3 Mbps respectively. At the same time, there is a second, future proposal with speeds of 1 Gbps and 500 Mbps, but no mention is made of its period of validity.
It is worth noting that the above is Rosenworcel's own proposal to the Commission. "The needs of Internet users have long since surpassed the FCC's 25/3 speed standard, especially considering the global pandemic that has moved much of our daily lives online," Rosenworcel said in a statement. "The 25/3 standard is not just outdated. It is harmful as it is the excuse behind which the delay in development in low-income areas and rural communities is hidden," she added.
The last update to the FCC's speed standard was in 2015 and there has been no development since then. In fact, the former chairman of the commission, Ajit Pai was only allowed to do so in 2021, towards the end of his four-year term, but he refrained from making any move, believing that speeds of 25 Mbps for download and 3 Mbps for upload were sufficient. The US Federal Communications Commission annually reviews broadband speed standards in the country.
The US is currently ranked 13th in the world in terms of average connection speed at 203.81 Mbps. Monaco leads the way with 261.82 Mbps while Singapore and Hong Kong round out the top three with 255.83 and 254.70 Mbps respectively.
