New FCC report shows digital divide continuing to close

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published the 2020 Broadband Deployment Report unveiling that the number of Americans lacking access to fixed broadband declined 30% between 2017 and 2018. This is the result of approximately USD$80 billion investment in network infrastructure in 2018 representing the highest annual amount in at least the last decade. ‘The FCC’s top priority is to close the digital divide, and I’m proud of the progress that we have made. From 2016 to 2018, the number of Americans without access to 25/3 Mbps fixed broadband service fell by more than 30%. And in 2018 and 2019, the United States set consecutive records for new fiber deployment, with the number of homes passed by fiber increasing by 5.9 million and 6.5 million, respectively,’ highlighted FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.