What Is Broadband?
Broadband or high-speed Internet access
allows users to access the Internet and Internet-related services
at significantly higher speeds than those available through
“dial-up” Internet access services. Broadband speeds vary
significantly depending on the particular type and level of
service ordered and may range from as low as 200 kilobits per
second (kbps), or 200,000 bits per second, to six megabits per
second (Mbps), or 6,000,000 bits per second. Some recent offerings
even include 50 to 100 Mbps. Broadband services for residential
consumers typically provide faster downstream speeds (from the
Internet to your computer) than upstream speeds (from your
computer to the Internet).
How Does Broadband Work?
Broadband allows users to access information
via the Internet using one of several high-speed transmission
technologies. Transmission is digital, meaning that text, images,
and sound are all transmitted as “bits” of data. The transmission
technologies that make broadband possible move these bits much
more quickly than traditional telephone or wireless connections,
including traditional dial-up Internet access connections.
Once you have a broadband connection to your
home or business, devices such as computers can be attached to
this broadband connection by existing electrical or telephone
wiring, coaxial cable, or wireless devices.
What Are The Advantages of Broadband?
Broadband allows you to take advantage of new
services not available or not convenient to use with a dial-up
Internet connection. One such service is Voice over Internet
Protocol (VoIP), an alternative to traditional voice telephone
service that may be less costly for you depending on your calling
patterns.
Some VoIP services only allow you to call
other people using the same service, but others allow you to call
anyone who has a telephone number – including local, long
distance, mobile, and international numbers.
Broadband makes “telemedicine” possible:
patients in rural areas can confer online with medical specialists
in more urban areas and share information and test results very
quickly.
Broadband helps you efficiently access and
use many reference and cultural resources, such as library and
museum data bases and collections. You also need broadband to best
take advantage of many distance learning opportunities, like
online college or university courses, and continuing or senior
education programs. Broadband is an important tool for expanding
educational and economic opportunities for consumers in remote
locations.
In addition to these new services, broadband
allows you to shop on-line and Web surf more quickly and
efficiently. Downloading and viewing videos and photos on your
computer are much faster and easier. With broadband you can access
the Internet by turning on your computer without needing to dial
up your Internet Service Provider (ISP) over a telephone line,
which permits you to use the Internet without tying up your
telephone line. As of June 2007, more than 100 million broadband
connections were deployed in the United States.
What Types of Broadband Are Available?
Broadband can be provided over different
platforms:
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Digital Subscriber Line (DSL);
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Cable Modem;
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Fiber-Optic Cable (Fiber);
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Wireless;
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Satellite; and
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Broadband over Powerline (BPL).
The broadband technology you choose will
depend on a number of factors. These include how broadband
Internet access is packaged with other services (like voice
telephone and home entertainment), price, and service
availability.
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
DSL is a wireline transmission technology
that transmits data faster over traditional copper telephone lines
already installed to homes and businesses. DSL-based broadband
provides transmission speeds ranging from several hundred Kbps to
millions of bits per second. The availability and speed of your
DSL service may depend on the distance from your home or business
to the closest telephone company facility.
The following are types of DSL transmission
technologies:
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Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line
(ADSL) – used primarily by residential customers, such as
Internet surfers, who receive a lot of data but do not send
much. ADSL typically provides faster speed in the downstream
direction than the upstream direction. ADSL allows faster
downstream data transmission over the same line used to provide
voice service, without disrupting regular telephone calls on
that line.
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Symmetrical Digital Subscriber Line
(SDSL) – used typically by businesses for services such as video
conferencing. Downstream and upstream traffic speeds are equal.
Faster forms of SDSL, typically available to businesses, include
High-data-rate Digital Subscriber Line (HDSL) and Very
High-data-rate Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL).
To find out if DSL is available to your home,
contact your local telephone companies or your state’s public
service commission.
Cable Modem
Cable modem service enables cable operators
to provide broadband using the same coaxial cables that deliver
pictures and sound to your TV set.
Most cable modems are external devices that
have two connections, one to the cable wall outlet and the other
to a computer. They provide transmission speeds of 1.5 Mbps or
more.
You can still watch cable TV while using a
cable modem service. Transmission speeds vary depending on the
type of cable modem, cable network, and traffic load. Speeds are
comparable to typical residential DSL.
To find out if cable modem service is
available to your home, contact your local cable companies, local
cable franchising authority (which may be part of your municipal
or county government), or your state’s public service commission.
Fiber-Optic Cable (Fiber)
Fiber optic technology converts to light
electrical signals carrying data and sends the light through
transparent glass fibers about the diameter of a human hair. Fiber
transmits data at speeds far exceeding current DSL or cable modem
speeds, typically by tens or even hundreds of Mbps. The actual
speed you experience, however, will vary depending upon a variety
of factors, such as how close to your computer the service
provider brings the fiber and how the service provider configures
the service, including the amount of bandwidth used. The same
fiber providing your broadband can also simultaneously deliver
voice (VoIP) and video services, including video-on-demand.
Some network operators (mostly telephone
companies) are offering fiber-based broadband in limited areas,
expanding their fiber networks, and beginning to provide bundled
voice, Internet access, and video services.
To find out if fiber is available to your
home, contact your local telephone companies or your state’s
public service commission.
Wireless
Wireless broadband can be mobile or fixed.
Wireless fidelity (WiFi) is a fixed, short range technology that
is often used in conjunction with DSL or cable modem service to
connect devices within a home or business to the Internet.
WiFi connects a home or business to the
Internet using a radio link between the customer’s location and
the service provider’s facility. This fixed wireless broadband
service is becoming more and more widely available at airports,
city parks, bookstores, and other public locations called
“hotspots.”
Fixed wireless technologies using longer
range directional equipment can provide broadband service in
remote or sparsely populated areas where other types of broadband
would be too costly to provide. Speeds are generally comparable to
DSL and cable modem service speeds. An external antenna is usually
required. With newer services now being deployed (WiMax), a small
antenna located inside a home near a window is usually adequate,
and higher speeds are possible.
Mobile wireless broadband services, such as
3G, are also becoming available from mobile telephone service
providers, such as cell phone companies, and others. These
services generally require a special card with a built in antenna
that plugs into a user’s laptop computer. Generally, they provide
lower speeds, in the range of several hundred kbps.
To find out if wireless broadband is
available to your home, contact your local wireless telephone
companies or your state’s public service commission. You can also
visit the following Web site that lists the wireless Internet
service providers in your state:
www.wispdirectory.com/.
Satellite
Just as satellites orbiting the earth provide
necessary links for telephone and television service, they can
also provide links for broadband services. Satellite broadband is
another form of wireless broadband and is particularly useful for
serving remote or sparsely populated areas.
Downstream and upstream speeds for satellite
broadband depend on several factors, including the provider and
service package purchased, the consumer’s line of sight to the
orbiting satellite, and the weather. Satellite service can be
disrupted in extreme weather conditions. Typically a consumer can
expect to receive (download) at a speed of about 1 Mbps and send
(upload) at a speed of about 200 kbps. These speeds may be slower
than DSL and cable modem, but the download speed is still much
faster than the download speed with dial-up Internet access.
Obtaining satellite broadband can be more
costly and involved than obtaining DSL or cable modem. A user must
have:
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a two or three foot dish or base station –
the most costly item;
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a satellite Internet modem; and
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a clear line of sight to the provider’s
satellite.
To find out if satellite broadband is
available to your home, contact broadband satellite companies or
your state’s public service commission.
Broadband over Powerline (BPL)
BPL delivers broadband over the existing low
and medium voltage electric power distribution network. BPL speeds
are comparable to DSL and cable modem speeds. BPL can be provided
to homes using existing electrical connections and outlets.
BPL is an emerging technology, currently
available in very limited areas. It has significant potential
because power lines are installed virtually everywhere,
alleviating the need to build new broadband facilities to every
customer.
To find out if BPL is available to your home,
contact your electric utility or your state’s public service
commission. You can also visit the following Web site to obtain a
list of BPL providers:
www.bpldatabase.org.
Getting Broadband
Contact a provider in your area, which can be
a local telephone company or other provider for DSL and fiber, a
cable company for cable modem, a wireless or satellite company for
wireless broadband, or an electrical utility for BPL. There are
differences among broadband services, and the equipment of one
provider may not work in another area or with another provider.
Check with your broadband service provider for information on
compatibility. Providers sometimes offer promotions or discounts
on necessary equipment.
Prior to ordering service, check with the
service provider to find out the cost and transmission speeds
promised. Be aware that the actual transmission speeds you
experience depend on many factors and may be less than the maximum
potential speed stated by your provider. When you receive your
contract, be aware of the fine print and the conditions of
service. After receiving the service, contact your provider
regarding any problems. Investigate obtaining service through a
different provider if you are not pleased with your current
service or provider.
A satellite provider may be able to provide
broadband service to your home, even if other types of broadband
services are not available in your community. If you are unable to
obtain broadband service in your area, there may be several
courses of action available to you.
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You may want to contact your local library
and see if it has applied for the federal E-rate program, which
subsidizes broadband to libraries and schools.
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You could contact local government
officials such as your mayor, county executive, or town or
county council members and ask what they can do to attract
broadband service providers to your area. Because it is
typically expensive to extend a broadband network to a new area,
the more individuals that you can find to presubscribe to a
provider’s service, the more likely it is that a broadband
provider will choose to serve your area. Your county may be able
to offer a broadband provider video franchise rights, making
building out a broadband network more attractive to potential
providers.
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You also may want to talk with your state
government or state public service commission to see what is
being done or can be done to get broadband to your area. For
contact information for your state public service commission, go
to
www.naruc.org/commissions.cfm, or see the attached list.
Filing a Complaint with the FCC
If you experience a problem with your
broadband service, first try to resolve it with your provider.
If you cannot resolve the problem directly, you can file a
complaint with the FCC. There is no charge for filing a
complaint. You can file a complaint using an on-line form found
on the FCC Web site at
esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm. You can also file your
complaint with the FCC’s Consumer Center by e-mailing
fccinfo@fcc.gov; calling
1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL-FCC
(1-888-835-5322) TTY; faxing 1-866-418-0232; or writing to:
Federal Communications Commission Consumer &
Governmental Affairs Bureau Consumer Inquiries and Complaint
Division 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, DC 20554.
What to Include in Your Complaint
The best way to provide all the information
the FCC needs to process your complaint is to complete fully the
on-line complaint form. When you open the on-line complaint
form, you will be asked a series of questions that will take you
to the particular section of the form you need to complete. If
you do not use the on-line complaint form, your complaint, at a
minimum, should indicate:
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your name, address, e-mail address, and
phone number where you can be reached;
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the telephone or account numbers that are
the subject of your complaint;
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the names and phone numbers of any
companies involved with your complaint;
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the amount of any disputed charges, whether
you paid them, whether you received a refund or adjustment to
your bill, the amount of any adjustment or refund you have
received, an explanation if the disputed charges are related to
services in addition to residential or business services; and
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the details of your complaint or any
additional relevant information.
For More Information
If you are unable to obtain
broadband services, or need help collecting any of the
information you need about them, you can contact the
FCC’s Consumer Center using the information provided for
filing a complaint. For information about other
telecommunications issues, visit the FCC’s Consumer &
Governmental Affairs Bureau Web site at
www.fcc.gov/cgb, or contact the Consumer Center. To
contact your state public service commission, go to
www.naruc.org/commissions.cfm, or see the attached
list. |
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State and Territory Public Service Commission
Contact Information
Alabama: |
100 North Union St., Suite 850, Montgomery, AL 36104, Tel:
334-242-5218, Fax: 334-242-0509 |
Alaska: |
701 West 8th Ave., Suite 300, Anchorage, AK
99501, Tel: 907-276-6222, Fax: 907-276-0160 |
Arizona: |
1200 West Washington St., Phoenix, AZ 85007, Tel:
602-542-2237, Fax: 602-542-3977 |
Arkansas: |
1000 Center Building, Little Rock, AR 72201, Tel:
501-682-2051, Fax: 501-682-5731 |
California: |
California State Building, 505 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, CA 94102,
Tel: 415-703-2782, Fax: 415-703-1758 |
Colorado: |
1560 Broadway, Suite 250, Denver, CO 80202, Tel:
303-894-2000, Fax: 303-894-2065 |
Connecticut: |
10 Franklin Square, New Britain, CT 06051, Tel:
860-827-1553, Fax: 860-827-2806 |
Delaware: |
861 Silver Lake Blvd., Cannon Building, Suite 100, Dover, DE 19904,
Tel: 302-739-4247, Fax: 302-739-4849 |
District of Columbia: |
1333 H Street NW, 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20005, Tel: 202-626-5100,
Fax: 202-638-1785 |
Florida: |
2540 Shumard Oak Blvd., Gerald Gunter Building, Tallahassee, FL 32399,
Tel: 850-413-6344, Fax: 800-511-0809 |
Georgia: |
244 Washington St., Atlanta, GA 30334, Tel: 404-656-4501 or
800-282-5813, Fax: 404-656-2341 |
Guam: |
414 West Soledad Ave., GCIC Building, PO Box 862, Hagatna, Guam 96910,
Tel: 671-472-1907, Fax: 671-472-1917 |
Hawaii: |
465 South King St., Kekuanao'a Building, Honolulu, HI 96813, Tel:
808-586-2020, Fax: 808-586-2066 |
Idaho: |
472 West Washington St., PO Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720-0074, Tel:
208-334-0300, Fax: 208-334-3762 |
Illinois: |
160 North LaSalle St., Suite C-800, Chicago, IL 60601, Tel:
312-814-2850, Fax: 312-814-1818 |
Indiana: |
National City Center, 101 West Washington St., Suite 1500 East,
Indianapolis, IN 46204, Tel: 317-232-2701, Fax: 317-232-6758 |
Iowa: |
350 Maple St., Des Moines, IA 50319-0069, Tel: 515-281-5979, Fax:
515-281-8821 |
Kansas: |
1500 S.W. Arrowhead Rd., Topeka, KS 66604, Tel: 785-271-3100, Fax:
785-271-3354 |
Kentucky: |
211 Sower Blvd., Frankfort, KY 40601, Tel: 502-564-3940, Fax:
502-564-3460 |
Louisiana: |
Galvez Building 12th Floor, 602 North Fifth St., Baton Rouge, LA
70802, Tel: 225-342-4999 or 800-256-2397, Fax: 225-342-2831 |
Maine: |
242 State St., 18 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333, Tel:
207-287-3831, Fax: 207-287-1039 |
Maryland: |
16th Floor, 6 St. Paul St., Baltimore, MD 21202-6806, Tel:
410-767-8000, Fax: 410-333-6495 |
Massachusetts: |
One South Station, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA 02110, Tel: 617-305-3500,
Fax: 617-345-9102 |
Michigan: |
6545 Mercantile Way, Lansing, MI 48911, Tel: 517-241-6180, Fax:
517-241-6189 |
Minnesota: |
121 Seventh Place East, Suite 350, St. Paul, MN 55101-2147, Tel:
651-296-7124, Fax: 651-297-7073 |
Mississippi: |
501 North West St., Woolfolk State Office Building, Jackson, MS
39201-1174, Tel: 601-961-5400, Fax: 601-961-5842 |
Missouri: |
200 Madison St., Governor Office Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101,
Tel: 573-751-3234, Fax: 573-751-1847 |
Montana: |
1701 Prospect Ave., PO Box 202601, Helena, MT 59620-2601, Tel:
406-444-6199, Fax: 406-444-7618 |
Nebraska: |
300 The Atrium, 1200 N St., Lincoln, NE 68508-4927, Tel: 402-471-3101,
Fax: 402-471-0254 |
Nevada: |
1150 East William St., Carson City, NV 89701-3109, Tel: 775-684-6101,
Fax: 775-684-6110 |
New Hampshire: |
21 South Fruit St., Suite 10, Concord, NH 03301, Tel: 603-271-2431,
Fax: 603-271-3878 |
New Jersey: |
Two Gateway Center, 8th Floor, Newark, NJ 07102, Tel: 609-777-3300,
Fax: 609-777-3330 |
New Mexico: |
1120 Paseo de Peralta, PERA Building, Santa Fe, NM 87501-1269, Tel:
888-4ASK-PRC (888-427-5772), Fax: 505-827-4379 |
New York: |
Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223, Tel: 518-474-7080, Fax:
518-474-0421 |
North Carolina: |
430 North Salisbury St., Raleigh, NC 27603, Tel: 919-733-4249, Fax:
919-733-7300 |
North Dakota: |
600 E Boulevard Ave., Dept 408, Bismarck, ND 58505-0480, Tel:
701-328-2400, Fax: 701-328-2410 |
Northern Mariana Islands: |
PO Box 505049, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands 96950, Tel:
670-664-2206, Fax: 670-664-2211 |
Ohio: |
180 East Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215, Tel: 614-466-3016, Fax:
614-466-7366 |
Oklahoma: |
Jim Thorpe Office Building, 2101 North Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City,
OK 73105, Tel: 405-521-2211, Fax: 405-522-1623 |
Oregon: |
550 Capitol St., NE, Suite 215, PO Box 2148, Salem, OR 97308, Tel:
800-522-2404 |
Pennsylvania: |
400 North St., Commonwealth Keystone Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120,
Tel: 717-787-5722, Fax: 717-787-4193 |
Puerto Rico: |
235 Ave. Arterial Hostos, Capital Center, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918,
Tel: 787-756-0804, Fax: 787-756-0814 |
Rhode Island: |
89 Jefferson Blvd., Warwick, RI 02888, Tel: 401-941-4500, Fax:
401-941-8827 |
South Carolina: |
101 Executive Center Dr., Columbia, SC 29210, Tel: 803-896-5100, Fax:
803-896-5246 |
South Dakota: |
State Capitol, 500 East Capitol Ave., Pierre, SD 57501, Tel:
605-773-3201, Fax: 866-757-6031 |
Tennessee: |
460 James Robertson Parkway, Nashville, TN 37243, Tel: 615-741-2904,
Fax: 615-741-5015 |
Texas: |
1701 North Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78711, Tel: 512-936-7000, Fax:
512-936-7003 |
Utah: |
160 East 300 South, 4th Floor, Salt Lake City, UT 84111, Tel:
801-530-6716, Fax: 801-530-6796 |
Vermont: |
112 State St., 4th Floor, Montpelier, VT 05620, Tel: 802-828-2358,
Fax: 802-828-3351 |
Virgin Islands: |
PO Box 40, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands 00804, Tel:
340-776-1291, Fax: 340-774-4879 |
Virginia: |
1300 East Main St., Richmond, VA 23219, Tel: 804-371-9608, Fax:
804-371-9376 |
Washington: |
1300 S. Evergreen Park Dr., PO Box 47250, Olympia, WA 98504, Tel:
360-664-1160, Fax: 360-586-1150 |
West Virginia: |
201 Brooks St., Charleston, WV 25301, Tel: 304-340-0300, Fax:
304-340-0325 |
Wisconsin: |
610 North Whitney Way, Madison, WI 53705, Tel: 608-266-5481, Fax:
608-266-1401 or 608-266-3957 |
Wyoming: |
2515 Warren Ave., Suite 300, Cheyenne, WY 82002, Tel: 307-777-7427,
Fax: 307-777-5700 |
|
Federal Communications Commission · Consumer
& Governmental Affairs Bureau · 445 12th St. S.W. ·
Washington, DC 20554 |
1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) ·
TTY: 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) · Fax: 1-866-418-0232 · www.fcc.gov/cgb/
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