The U. S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is eyeing to achieve Internet speeds of 1 gigabit per second by 2020, for community institutions such as schools and government buildings, stated FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, on Thursday.

To be released later this month, the FCC's National Broadband Plan is seeking to increase universal access and adoption of broadband, and create a nationwide public safety network. It expects to free up airwaves for mobile broadband.

Genachowski said, “The blueprint will set dramatic, bold goals to bring faster Internet speeds to American homes, including 100 megabits per second (Mbps) for 100 million U. S. households by 2020”.

Industry estimates generally put average current U. S. Internet speeds at below 4 Mbps, and with the new plan, the Internet speeds would now boost to a whopping 1,000 Mbps.

At an event to promote broadband use for small businesses, Genachowski said, “We're going to set goals around making sure that every community by 2020 has a 1 gigabit connection at an anchor institution like a school or a library or a healthcare facility”.

Google Inc. recently revealed its plans in February to build a super-fast one gigabit Internet network for up to half a million people, that would run on fiber optic lines to homes.

The FCC voted to expand a program two weeks ago, that allows local communities to use their schools' Internet access during non-school hours; a move that could increase access to high-speed Internet.