Providers can use funding from the government or private investors to help them expand their network reach. Another solution is for providers to partner with other businesses in order to boost speeds and availability. For example, providers could work with telcos so that they can provide fibre-optic connections in rural areas. These partnerships can help providers improve service for everyone involved. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) measures Internet speeds using its Download Speeds Reports. The FCC collects data from ISPs and users on the average speed of their downloads at peak periods during the evening and overnight hours. They release this data every three months to provide a snapshot of broadband progress in the United States.In order to be included in the report, an ISP must have at least 500,000 subscribers. To qualify for inclusion, a company’s download speeds must be at or above 25 Megabits per second (Mbps) during peak periods.[1] The FCC uses three categories to measure broadband progress: adoption, access, and capability.

Adoption is determined by how many households have access to fixed broadband services with speeds of at least 50 Mbps. Access is determined by how many households can actually connect to those services. Capability is the percentage of Americans who are able to use those services reliably and without interruption.While the Download Speeds Reports are helpful in identifying areas where improvements need to be made, they don’t always tell the entire story about broadband availability or performance in rural areas. In order to get a better understanding of rural broadband needs, the FCC has developed Rural Broadband Maps[2]. These unlimited 4g home internet maps show which counties have access to fixed broadband service with speeds of 10 Mbps or more and whether that service is available at all.[3] The FCC also uses surveys[4] and other research methods[5] to measure actual subscriber experiences with broadband service providers

The Need for Speed: Finding the Fastest Internet for Rural HomesWhile most people are familiar with the idea of needing fast internet speeds in order to do things like stream music or video, many rural residents may not be aware of the importance of having a high-speed connection. In today’s world, where almost everything is done online, having a slow internet connection can be quite frustrating. There are a number of factors that affect internet speed, but one of the most important is your location. If you live in a rural area, your internet speed will likely be slower than if you lived in an urban area. This is because there are fewer nodes available to provide service to remote areas, and those that do exist often have slower speeds due to this limitations. Another factor that affects your internet speed is your ISP (Internet Service Provider). Some ISPs have better coverage than others, and some have more bandwidth available. This means that they can usually provide faster speeds to customers than other providers. However, even within an ISP’s network there can be variation in how fast different parts of the country are able to receive service.