BROADBAND 101

What you need to know in 10 minutes or less

What is broadband?

• Wikipedia: “of or using signals over a wide range of frequencies in high-capacity telecommunications”

• FCC: download speed of 4Mbps, upload speed of 1Mbps

• Mere Mortals: High speed internet access

How is Broadband used?

• Healthcare• Education• Public Safety• E-government• Utilities• Commerce• Personal communications

How is broadband delivered?

• DSL: Blackfoot, CenturyLink• Cable Modem: Optimum• Fiber to the Premise (FTTP)• Fixed wireless: Centric, Rocky Mountain

Internet• Mobile Wireless (3G/4G): Verizon, AT&T• State Broadband map at:– www.mtbroadband.org

Typical Broadband Issues

• Access – Is the infrastructure in place?• Affordability – Can the customer afford it?• Awareness – Is the customer trained to use it?

• Questions?