For nearly a decade, Jessica Rosenworcel has been calling for a significant increase in the United States’ broadband speed standards. As a commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) back in 2015, she argued that “our new threshold, frankly, should be 100Mbps. I think anything short of that shortchanges our children, our future, and our new digital economy.”

Now, Rosenworcel’s vision has finally become a reality. The FCC, under her leadership as Chairwoman, has redefined the minimum requirements for internet service to be classified as “broadband.” The new threshold sets download speeds at 100 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds at 20 Mbps – a substantial increase from the long-standing 25Mbps/3Mbps standard that had been in place since 2015.

The long-overdue update comes after years of stagnation and resistance from previous FCC leadership. As recently as 2021, under the chairmanship of Ajit Pai, the Commission claimed that the 25Mbps/3Mbps benchmark was still sufficient, despite the rapidly evolving digital landscape and increasing bandwidth demands of modern applications and services.

The FCC’s broadband definitions are crucial, as they determine whether the agency is effectively closing the digital divide and bridging the gap in internet access across the United States. These standards also guide the agency’s regulatory approach and the distribution of funding aimed at expanding and improving broadband infrastructure, particularly in underserved rural areas.

In justifying the new 100Mbps/20Mbps threshold, the FCC cited the requirements already set by federal and state funding programs, as well as the actual speeds being marketed and delivered by internet service providers. The agency also took into account evolving consumer usage patterns and the growing bandwidth needs of households and businesses alike.

The significance of this redefinition cannot be overstated. According to the FCC’s own data, nearly 28 percent of Americans living in rural areas currently lack access to wired internet services that meet the new broadband standard. While download and upload speeds are just one factor in assessing internet quality, they are a critical component, alongside affordability and latency considerations.

The long-awaited broadband reclassification was made possible by the FCC’s current Democratic majority, a position that has been elusive for much of President Biden’s term due to vacancies on the Commission. It wasn’t until September 2023, when Anna Gomez was finally confirmed by the Senate, that the FCC regained its full complement of five commissioners, breaking the prolonged deadlock that had paralyzed its decision-making processes.

With the new broadband standards in place, the FCC can now more accurately assess the state of internet accessibility across the nation and take appropriate measures to ensure that all Americans, regardless of their location, have access to reliable, high-speed internet services that meet the demands of the modern digital age.