Nearly 10 million Americans now have high-speed connections to the Internet, according to the FCC's third report to Congress about advanced telecommunications.
The report said high-speed subscribers (including those with advanced services) numbered about 9.6 million as of June 2001, a 36 percent increase since the first half of the year and about a 250 percent increase since December 1999.
In addition, roughly 7.8 million of those subscribers are residential or small business customers, which is about a 51 percent increase from the nearly 5.2 million it counted during the first half of 2001.
The report is mandated by Congress in order to track whether "advanced telecommunications capability" such as high-speed, switched, broadband communications -- is being deployed in a "reasonable and timely manner."
The FCC defines "advanced telecommunications capability" as services and facilities with an upstream (customer-to-provider) and downstream (provider-to-customer) transmission speed exceeding 200 Kbps.
Of the 7.8 million residential or small business subscribers, the FCC said about 4.3 million are advanced services subscribers, which is a 54 percent increase during the first half of 2001.
The report's data also show that cable systems are the preferred delivery method compared to high-speed asymmetric DSL (ADSL) subscribers.
High-speed connections using coaxial cable systems numbered 5.2 million, up 45 percent during the first half of 2001, and DSL subscribers numbered 2.7 million, up 36 percent. Although high-speed access using satellite or fixed wireless technologies was the smallest group at nearly 200,000, the growth of that group was the fastest at 73 percent since the first half of 2001.
The report said high-speed subscribers were reported in 97 percent of the most densely populated zip codes and in 49 percent of the zip codes with the lowest population densities.
In a statement about the report, FCC chairman Michael Powell supported its findings and agreed with its conclusion that broadband deployment is proceeding as federal telecommunications policy mandates.
"Our demonstrated commitment to spurring broadband deployment is as varied as it is pervasive. It is one of our highest priorities and is never far from our thoughts as we decide communications policy," he said.
Commissioner Michael Copps, however, politely dissented in supporting the report because he was "unable to determine whether the deployment of advanced telecommunications capability to all Americans is or is not reasonable and timely."
"I impugn no colleague's commitment to broadband deployment and no bureau's enthusiasm and hard work for bringing the wonders of broadband technologies to the American people. I just happen to have a different perspective," he said. The report said of the 5.9 million subscribers to advanced services, 3.3 million subscribed to cable-based services and one million subscribed to asymmetric DSL, with the remaining balance subscribed to other technologies.
Of the 9.6 million high-speed subscribers overall, 5.9 million are described as advanced services subscribers, the FCC said. In general, approximately 7 percent of all American households now subscribe to high-speed Internet services, which is up 4.7 percent since January 2001 and up by 1.6 percent since the FCC's second report to Congress which was in August of 2000.
The FCC gathered the data from high-speed access providers such as wireline telephone companies, cable, wireless and satellite companies, as well as any other facilities-based providers of 250 or more high-speed service lines (or wireless channels) in a given state.
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