The final report by Ajit Pai, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), finds that the agency's previous definitions of broadband Internet still more than meet the expectations Americans have of the Internet today.

In 2015, the FCC introduced a change to the agency’s standard definition of broadband, replacing the previous minimum speeds of 4 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 1 Mbps upload with 25 download and 3 upload, to accommodate the increased needs of modern internet users. Nearly six years later, Pai and the FCC still consider those benchmarks adequate, even as more people and businesses move online.

"The current threshold does not reflect the needs of our increasingly connected population," Tyler Cooper, editor in chief of BroadbandNow, told Lifewire via email. "Many applications that require two-way communication require more than 3 Mbps upload to function optimally, and looking ahead, this current standard in no way reflects the requirements of applications in the near future. Networks we build today must function well tomorrow."

The FCC is responsible for providing a basic definition of what broadband access is in the United States. Internet service providers (ISPs) such as Comcast, Spectrum, and AT&T can then use that definition and offer services that meet or exceed those standards.