The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reports that Internet service providers have actually tripled Internet speeds over the last three and a half years. Way to go everybody!
According to a report released last week, while Americans' "demands for streaming video and downloading content" has kept providers busy, "the United States still lags many other countries." So, not so good.
The report noted that back in March 2011 the average download connection speeds was 10 megabits per second (Mbps). But as of September of last year, this had increased to a much 31 Mbps. That 3x growth is insufficient for many, however, as watching movies, playing games, and otherwise doing pretty much everything on the web becomes the norm.
The 3x growth in Internet speed is certainly impressive, but the U.S. isn't faring so well when it is compared to other countries. In fact, in 2013, the U.S. ranked just 25th out of 39 countries surveyed in terms of Internet speed. France, Canada, Germany, and Japan all boasted faster connections, with Luxembourg sitting comfortably in the lead with an average download speed of 47.32 Mbps.
But things are definitely looking up for American Internet users. "Advances in network technology are yielding significant improvements in broadband speeds and quality," FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said in a statement. "Faster, better broadband will unleash new innovations and new services to improve the lives of the American people."
