broadband Internet service

When it comes to broadband, we Americans are a bit like Maverick and Goose in Top Gun. We feel the need for speed -- download speed, that is. We cringe at reports that show average U.S. download speeds lagging behind those of other countries. Representative Rick Boucher [D-Va.], chairman of the House Communications, Technology & Internet Subcommittee, says that within the next five years, 80 percent of Americans should have access to broadband speeds that are more than ten times what we have today.

Google on Wednesday launched its latest innovation -- one that sheds new light on a controversial problem: Net neutrality.

Called Measurement Lab, the tool seeks to reveal whether the root cause of a flaky Internet connection is your broadband Internet service provider, the application, your PC, or something else. Google partnered with academic researchers to develop a solution.

The Federal Communications Commission has released an engineering report that opens the door for the FCC to apportion a chunk of wireless spectrum for free Internet services across the nation.

"We need to reserve some spectrum for free broadband services," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said. "This would be a lifeline broadband service that would be designed for lower-income people who may not otherwise have access to the Internet."