Stories

It’s been one year since the signing of the bipartisan infrastructure law, earmarking $65 billion to expand broadband access. The goal? To make sure that every American has broadband.

The next great leap for broadband is underway: 10G, short for “10-gigabits per second,” is a powerful technology platform that will be 10 times faster than the 1G internet speeds offered today. Multi-gig internet speeds are rolling out now in markets across the country and will reach more than 50 million homes and businesses by the end of 2025. Even more exciting, the launch of 10G networks is just around the corner, in 2023. With 10G on our doorstep, how will high-speed connectivity change the way we live? To better understand this, broadband providers partnered with the Future Today Institute (FTI) to forecast how these new speeds could revolutionize life, work, and play as we know it. Let’s take a look at four key areas that stand to benefit first: entertainment, healthcare, education, and agriculture.

The big story of the summer has been high inflation and rising costs—the uninvited guests that put a damper on vacation plans by making almost everything, from gas to food, more expensive. While prices for many goods and services continue to fluctuate, however, there is one essential service that has remained stable in pricing: home broadband. 

Most Americans in urban and suburban areas are accustomed to the convenience of broadband and the opportunities it provides. From distance learning and remote work to telehealth and smart homes, our lives are increasingly connected to the devices and the world around us. For some of the nation’s rural and remote regions, the distance and terrain between households and businesses are often beyond broadband’s reach. The lack of access to high-speed internet prevents efficiencies that much of the nation enjoys. These small rural communities contribute to the American economy and increasing access to high-speed internet in these hard-to-reach areas is not only linked to economic growth, but also enhanced opportunities.

A once-in-a-generation opportunity is before us: to expand broadband and deliver high-speed internet access to the communities, businesses, and families who lack access today.

10G vs 5G – you may have heard of these terms before. But while the names of these two technologies may be similar, they have two very different meanings. In fact, some may be surprised to learn that the “G” signifies something different in each. The G in the cellular industry’s 5G means “generation”, while the G in the cable industry’s 10G means “gigabit”. But, despite their differences, both 5G and 10G have the same objective – to provide seamless connectivity that is fast, reliable, and secure.  

President Biden announced the narrowing of America’s digital divide on May 9, 2022 at the White House and applauded broadband providers for their internet adoption efforts, including offering plans that enable low-income families to subscribe to 100 Mbps internet service for free when taking advantage of a $30 federal subsidy. With the recent implementation of the FCC's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), broadband providers including Comcast, Charter, Cox and Mediacom introduced new internet plans throughout their service areas, allowing qualifying ACP households to obtain robust internet service for free after redemption of their ACP benefit. Interested families can find out if they qualify for the ACP benefit from the new federal government website GetInternet.gov.

In a world of increasingly remote communications, speed, literally, is of the essence. But how fast is fast, and how much do we really need? To find out, let’s take a quick dive into all-things-broadband.