In supporting the importance of internet technology today in healthcare, education, and economic development, PSA continues to support access to best and greatest broadband speeds for urban and rural areas.
A new study by Microsoft researchers casts a light on the actual use of high-speed internet across the country, and it presents a very different picture than the FCC numbers. Their analysis, presented at a Microsoft event Tuesday in Washington, D.C., suggests that the speedy access is much more limited than the FCC data shows.
Overall, Microsoft concluded that 162.8 million people do not use the internet at broadband speeds, while the FCC says that broadband is not available to 24.7 million Americans. The discrepancy is particularly stark in rural areas. In Ferry County, for example, Microsoft estimates that only about 2 percent of people use broadband service, versus the 100 percent that the federal government says have access to the service.
In bringing more broadband to rural areas, Microsoft is urging the government to keep the white-space broadcast spectrum open for public use. It is also pushing to get a larger portion of the more than $4 billion a year that the FCC and the Agriculture Department spend in grants and subsidies to bring broadband to rural areas.
Here is an article from the Seattle Times explaining the Microsoft study and possible solutions offered by Microsoft to bring more broadband to rural areas.
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