Americans accessing the Internet over ordinary modems are likely to see a slight increase in speed later this year when federal regulators reconsider an outdated restriction on telephone networks.
The fastest dial-up modems operating over ordinary phone lines are theoretically capable of receiving 56,000 bits of information per second, but 20-year old Federal Communications Commission rules limit speeds to 53,000 bps.
On Wednesday, the FCC announced it was considering changing the rule, which actually limits the electrical power of modems used by Internet service providers to connect to the phone network.
Modem-receiving speeds will still be limited by a host of other factors beyond a Web surfer's control, including the quality of phone lines between residences and telephone-company neighborhood switches. So, even after the FCC rules change, modem downloads will reach 56K only under optimal conditions. The sending speed of ordinary modems remains topped out at 33,600 bps.
But the change will allow modem vendors to remove some of the fine print they include at the bottom of every advertisment for 56K modems warning of the current 53K speed limit.
