FCC to Unveil Results of Broadband Speed Survey

"Measuring Broadband America" study is FCC's push to promote deployment

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/1/2011 2:41:06 PM

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski will unveil the results of an FCC broadband speed survey Tuesday, making the announcement from a Best Buy in Washington.
 
The FCC said that the report, "Measuring Broadband America," is part of the FCC's push to promote broadband deployment, in this case by showing where it is currently and how speedy it is.
 
The FCC's definition of access to broadband is access to a service with speeds of 4 megabytes downstream, 768 kilobytes upstream.
 
The commission will also release new consumer resources for choosing broadband service, which it bills as "take the confusion and mystery out of choosing the speed they need."
 
Rather than advertised speeds, which FCC broadband data collection has been based on, the study, which was pitched in the National Broadband Plan, measures speed and performance "delivered to the home." Given that advertised and actual speed can vary, the FCC says this will allow for comparisons of different service providers "scientifically."