Internet in the United States

As birthplace of the Internet, the United States has had access ever since the inception of the Internet. The Internet began as Arpanet, a project of the DARPA Agency of the Defense Department. Gradually, academic institutions and other organizations began to find their own uses for the internet, and to add their own servers and software.

Currently, Internet service in the United States is available in a variety of forms. Some companies serve as private Internet Service Providers. Some cable companies provide internet to their subscribers automatically. Some business and municipalities provide free wireless internet access in various public places and commercial business locations.

The FCC has defined broadband as any Internet connection with a download speed greater than 200 kbit/s in the publication [http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/highspeedinternet.html] but most providers consider 256 kbit/s to be the minimum download speed of a broadband connection.

DSL

In the United States, many different kinds of DSL services are offered by different companies:

*ADSL is offered by a variety of providers. The most popular variant is RADSL. Many providers, such as AT&T, offer up to 6.0 Mbit/s/768 kbit/s service for home use. Others, such as Qwest, offer up to 1.5 Mbit/s/896 kbit/s service.
*VDSL is offered by Qwest and is currently used to deliver video services as well as 1.5 Mbit/s/256 kbit/s Internet access.
*ADSL pricing is almost universally flat rate. However, some ISPs charge for the bandwidth or hours used in excess of the allowance given in their plans.
*In many locations, the DSLAM is installed in the Serving area interface or local interface box because many neighborhoods use a fiber uplink to the CO (no copper exists between the CO and the box) or the copper local loop is too long.
*256/256 kbit/s DSL is often priced as a "dial-up replacement" service. In many cases, this service is not "always on" and a user must initiate a PPPoE connection to connect to the Internet.
*8/1 Mbit/s DSL for business use is available from most providers.
*8/1 Mbit/s DSL for home use is becoming more widely available due to competitive pressures from cable Internet access.

DSL Alternatives

*According to an industry trade association, there were 22.5 million cable modem users in the U.S. during Q1 2005, up from 17.4 million in Q1 2004, vs. about 20 million DSL users. The popularity of cable Internet access is variously attributed to wider potential customer base due to greater capital expenditures, or less regulation, or technical differences. Although cable Internet access has its share of difficulties, cable Internet service providers can in most cases offer higher theoretical bandwidth (albeit by shared access network, although both cable or DSL shares the core network). Some believe these paper claims are naturally used to market it as a premium product and undermine the position of DSL. Features, technical support, and actual speed also vary very widely among providers.
*In recent years Verizon's FiOS has slowly become available in areas around the United States. In areas where it is available, competition between Verizon and local cable companies has caused speeds as high as 50/5 Mbit/s to be available. As FiOS spreads, prices are expected to drop, while speeds increase [cite news | title= 50 Megs for $90 from Verizon FiOS|date=2006-07-19| publisher=GigaOM| url= http://gigaom.com/2006/07/18/50-megs-for-80-from-verizon-fios/]
*Broadband wireless or WISP services are gaining in popularity not only in rural locations. Speeds range from 384 kbit/s to 1.5 Mbit/s for residential and 1.5 Mbit/s to over 10 Mbit/s for businesses. Although wireless has its share of difficulties it has gained in popularity as its reliability increases. It is possible to find a provider offering 99.99% uptime services for Enterprise grade performance.

ee also

* Communications in the United States

References

External links

* [http://www.dslreports.org DSL Reports] - Extensive site on broadband with user reports from around the USA and Canada