Broadband Internet Access, often shortened to broadband, is a high data rate Internet access typically contrasted with dial-up access using a 50k (50 thousand byte) modem. The term “broadband” commonly refers to high-speed internet access that is always on and faster than the traditional dial-up service. In other words, broadband is a type of internet that goes really, really fast.

Why use Broadband?

There are so many reasons why broadband internet is right for you no matter who you are or what you need. Have you ever wished you could go back to school and get a college degree, or even your g e d, but you could not afford it? Did you know that many colleges have courses online that they offer for much less than going to a campus? Furthermore, many websites help people study for exams such as the g e d, a c t, s a t, or even the m c a t.

Are you a local government trying to get information out to your citizens quickly and efficiently? Are there elections coming up and you want people to get involved; or is there an emergency and everyone needs to know a s a p? If you have broadband internet, you could have a website or email list that you could use to send such information to your citizens or other government officials. If you have a website, everyone who is aware of it could visit the site using his or her own internet connections. Do you have rows and rows of physical copies of important documents with no digital or external form of back up? Do you wish you had a database of all of that official information that made it quick and easy to access? Using broadband internet could make it possible to get to digital copies of your information quickly and easily when you need them such as during a conference or presentation.

Are you a business owner? You are probably the one to benefit most from having broadband internet and a website of some sort. So many people around the world use internet for various needs, but none as much as finding products to buy online. If the user is not yet ready to purchase an item, it is often because they are going from site to site of each business to find the one that offers the product at the best price. If you want to be in the running for this person’s business, it is imperative that you have a website. Consider the hundreds of millions of people that go online every day. What business owner would not want to advertise to such a huge audience? That is not to imply that your business will increase a million fold, but it will potentially increase a great amount.

Even all of these reasons to have broadband internet are just the tip of the iceberg of what is possible for you. If you want more information, you can visit one of our three pages about the benefits for households here, local governments here, or businesses here.

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Types of Broadband

There are several ways that someone can connect to broadband internet. These ways are:

• Digital Subscriber Line (d s l)
• Cable Modem
• Fiber
• Wireless
• Satellite
• Broadband over Powerlines (b p l)

Why you would pick one over the other really depends on your personal needs and what is available to you. The main points to consider are where you are located, what type of internet packages are being offered (such as internet with telephone or internet with tv cable), how much it costs, and whether the company providing the service is able to get to your location.

Digital Subscriber Line

d s l is a wireline transmission technology that transmits data faster over traditional copper telephone lines already installed to homes and businesses. d s l-based broadband provides transmission speeds ranging from several hundred Kbps to millions of bits per second (Mbps). The availability and speed of your d s l service may depend on the distance from your home or business to the closest telephone company facility.

Two d s l transmission types are:

• Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (a d s l) — Used primarily by residential customers, such as Internet surfers, who receive a lot of data but do not send much. A d s l typically provides faster speed in the downstream direction (towards the person recieving the file) than the upstream direction (towards the person sending the file). a d s l allows faster downstream data transmission over the same line used to provide voice service, without disrupting regular telephone calls on that line. In other words, if you need an internet source where you can look at the internet quickly, but you don't really need it to send files or photos to others, then a d s l would probably be the best choice for you.
• Symmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (s d s l) — Used typically by businesses for services such as video conferencing, which need significant bandwidth both upstream and downstream. If you are the type of person who likes using software such as instant messaging or you would like to use a program where you can talk to someone for a long period of time through the internet. This is probably the best option for you. This option is also good for any business that has multiple offices as you can hold meetings without everyone being in the same place.
• Two other forms of d s l that are ideal for businesses are High data rate Digital Subscriber Line (h d s l) and Very High date rate Digital Subscriber Line (v d s l)

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Cable Modem

Cable modem service enables cable operators to provide broadband using the same coaxial cables that deliver pictures and sound to your TV set.

Most cable modems are external devices that have two connections: one to the cable wall outlet, the other to a computer. They provide transmission speeds of 1.5 Mbps or more.

Subscribers can access their cable modem service by simply turning on their computers, without dialing-up an i s p. You can still watch cable TV while using it. Transmission speeds vary depending on the type of cable modem, cable network, and traffic load. Traffic load means that when there are more people online, the slower the connection speed will be because it has to be shared between all of the computers.

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Fiber

Fiber optic technology converts electrical signals carrying data to light and sends the light through transparent glass fibers about the diameter of a human hair. Fiber transmits data at speeds far exceeding current d s l or cable modem speeds, typically by tens or even hundreds of Mbps. The actual speed you experience will vary depending on a variety of factors, such as how close to your computer the service provider brings the fiber and how the service provider sets up the service, including the amount of bandwidth used (how much and how fast the data is transferred). The same fiber providing your broadband can also simultaneously deliver voice (VoIP) and video services, including video-on-demand. Variations of the technology run the fiber all the way to the customer’s home or business, to the curb outside, or to a location somewhere between the provider’s facilities and the customer.

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Wireless

Wireless broadband connects a home or business to the Internet using a radio link between the customer’s location and the service provider’s facility. Wireless broadband can be mobile or fixed. Mobile means that the device you have can move from place to place, such as an air card. Fixed means that the wireless device itself connects to the wall somewhere in your home, but your computer can connect to the device wirelessly. Wireless technologies that can transmit wireless signal in larger distances provide broadband service in remote or sparsely populated areas where d s l or cable modem service would be costly to provide. Speeds are about the same as d s l and cable modem. An external antenna is usually required. Wireless Local Area Networks (w l a ns) provide wireless broadband access over shorter distances and are often used to extend the reach of a "last-mile" wireline or fixed wireless broadband connection within a home, building, or campus environment. Wi-Fi networks use unlicensed devices and can allow for private access within a home or business, or for public Internet access at "hot spots" such as restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, airports, convention centers, and city parks. Mobile wireless broadband services are also becoming available from mobile telephone service providers and others. These services are generally appropriate for highly mobile customers and require a special p c card with a built in antenna that plugs into a user’s laptop computer. Generally, they provide lower speeds, in the range of several hundred Kbps.

As a result, if you are someone who lives in an area with a small population or if you are a business owner who wishes to attract more customers by providing wireless internet, then this option is the best choice for you.

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Satellite

Just as satellites orbiting the earth provide necessary links for telephone and television service, they can also provide links for broadband. Satellite broadband is another form of wireless broadband. It is also useful for serving remote or sparsely populated areas.

Downstream and upstream speeds for satellite broadband depend on several factors including the provider and service package purchased, the consumer’s line of sight to the orbiting satellite, and the weather. Typically, a consumer can expect to download at about 500 Kbps and upload at about 80 Kbps. These speeds may be slower than d s l and cable modem, but they are about 10 times faster than the download speed with dial-up Internet access. Service can be disrupted in extreme weather conditions.

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Broadband over Powerline (BPL)

BPL is the delivery of broadband over the existing low- and medium-voltage electric power distribution network. BPL can be provided to homes using existing electrical connections and outlets. BPL is fairly new so it is currently available in very limited areas. This new form of broadband connection, however, is very special because it uses power lines, which are already installed around most homes. Because of this, it reduces the need to build new broadband facilities for each new customer.

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NOTE: table is from www.broadbandnational.com

Note: Information about the types of broadband were found at broadband.gov

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What is Broadband?

Broadband Defined
Why You Should Use Broadband
Types of Broadband
Broadband Speeds Chart