Rosenworcel Statement on Measuring Broadband America Report 2012
STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER JESSICA ROSENWORCEL
Re:2012 Measuring Broadband America: A Report on Consumer Residential
Broadband Performance in the United States (July 19, 2012)
As the uses of broadband multiply in our lives, so do the questions. Will this
connection work for high definition streaming video? Will it support online learning? Is
it sufficient for teleconferencing? Can it support development of a website? Will it
support interactive games? Is it reliable enough for critical telemedicine functions?
Answering these kinds of queries is what today’s report is all about. By and
large, the news is good. Testing reveals that over the course of the last year, the average
Internet service provider delivered 96 percent of advertised speeds. This is an
improvement over just a year ago, when the average provider delivered 87 percent of
such speeds. In addition, the average subscribed tier has improved, from 11.1 Mbps last
year to 14.3 Mbps this year.
But these tests do more than shine a light on actual speeds delivered to
consumers. They remind us that it is essential that consumers fully understand these
speeds and how they can use the capacity they provide. So going forward, I welcome
expanding this measurement project to new technologies and looking for new ways to
provide consumers with the information they need and the broadband services they want.
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