Rural Internet Words, Explained in Plain English

BEAD: Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment: a $42.45 billion federal program that pays providers to connect homes without good internet. Each state chose its providers. More
Broadband: Always-on, fast internet. Since 2024 the FCC counts 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload as its benchmark. More
Mbps: Megabits per second, the usual unit for internet speed. Higher is faster. Download is what you receive; upload is what you send. More
Latency (lag, ping): How long a signal takes to make a round trip, in milliseconds. Low latency matters for video calls and games more than raw speed does. More
Data cap / priority data: A monthly amount of fast data. After it is used, the provider may slow you down or charge more. More
Fiber: Internet over a glass cable using light. The fastest and most reliable home connection. More
Cable (HFC): Internet over the TV coaxial cable network ("hybrid fiber-coaxial"). Fast downloads, slower uploads. More
DSL: Internet over a copper phone line. Slower the farther you are from the phone company's equipment. More
Fixed wireless: Internet beamed by radio from a provider's tower to an antenna on your home. Needs a clear line of sight. More
WISP: Wireless internet service provider: usually a local or regional fixed wireless company. More
5G home internet: Home internet from a mobile carrier's cell towers, through a gateway box by a window. More
LEO satellite: Low Earth orbit: satellites a few hundred miles up, like Starlink. Short signal trip, so less lag. More
GEO satellite: Geostationary orbit: satellites about 22,236 miles up over the equator, like HughesNet and Viasat. Long signal trip, more lag. More
Obstruction: Anything that blocks a satellite dish's view of the sky, usually trees. Causes short dropouts. More
FCC National Broadband Map: The FCC's free map of which providers report service at each US address. More
Availability challenge: A correction you file on the FCC map when a listed provider can't actually serve your address. More
Location challenge: A correction you file when your home is missing from the FCC map or shown in the wrong place. More
Unserved / underserved: BEAD terms for locations without 25/3 Mbps service (unserved) or without 100/20 Mbps (underserved), based on the FCC map. More
Subgrant: The contract a state signs with a provider to build BEAD-funded service. The four-year build clock starts here. More
Co-op: A member-owned electric or telephone cooperative. Many now build fiber to their rural members. More
CGNAT: Carrier-grade NAT: many customers share one public internet address. Normal on satellite and 5G; it can block hosting game servers or some cameras.
Mesh Wi-Fi: Several Wi-Fi units that work as one network to cover a large house. Useful when the router sits at one end of the home.