Wired broadband Internet service is available to 94% of American households, according to the Federal Communications Commission's Eighth Broadband Progress Report, released this week.
Sixty percent of households are subscribing to those services. But much of that is at a minimal download speed of 768 kilobits per second (kbps) -- less than the FCC's offical definition of broadband at 4 megabits per second.
(TechNewsDaily)
To put that in perspective, 768 kbps just squeaks by the bare minimum of 500 kbps required to stream Netflix videos.
Look for better video service and the numbers really drop. DVD-quality video needs at least 3 Mbps, according to Netflix, which 38% of U.S. households get. For HD video, the percentage of households drops further, though it's hard to say exactly how much. Netflix recommends at least 5 megabits per second, but the FCC reports only the number of households that get 6 Mbps or more, which is nearly 26%.
(TechNewsDaily)
However, none of these figures accounts for wireless Internet access, which actually outpaces wired service in some communities. The FCC did report on the extent of wireless service in this week's report, but it still doesn't play into the overall assessment of how many American households have broadband.