The Federal Communications Commission today adopted new, higher download and upload speeds as the benchmark for determining whether or not broadband is being deployed in a reasonable and timely fashion.
The new benchmarks are 100 megabits per second for downloads and 20 Mbps for uploads, an increase from the agency's 25/3 standard set in 2015. The new determination is part of the FCC’s regular assessment of the state of broadband deployment under Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act. The FCC, under chair Jessica Rosenworcel, set the latest review last November, signaling that the Biden administration sees 1 gigabit per second as future table stakes for the definition of high-speed broadband that is today’s “advanced telecommunications.”
The agency said in a statement after meeting today that advanced telecommunications capability is not being deployed in a reasonable and timely fashion based on the total number of Americans, Americans in rural areas and people living on Tribal lands who lack access to such capability, and the fact that these gaps in deployment are not closing rapidly enough. The vote for the new speed standards was 3-2 with the Democrats in the majority.
In setting the new benchmarks the agency considered standards now used in federal and state programs (such as NTIA’s BEAD Program and various Universal Service Fund programs), consumer usage patterns and what is actually available from and marketed by internet service providers, it said.
NCTA: The Internet & Television Association, representing cable companies, called the report “a missed opportunity for the FCC to acknowledge the substantial and undeniable progress that has been made in deploying broadband to all Americans, and to take credit for its role in that success. Indeed, just two days ago, the FCC’s own annual performance report stated that ‘this past year at the agency will be remembered for our progress toward [the] objective’ of ensuring 100% broadband coverage. The FCC’s decision not to recognize this progress in today’s report seems to be driven by an effort to bolster its regulatory authority more than any attempt to assess the pace of broadband deployment objectively. As internet providers work to connect every community to fast, affordable and reliable broadband service, the FCC can further speed this deployment by reducing regulatory barriers instead of imposing onerous new utility rules that will give the agency unprecedented power to micromanage the broadband marketplace.”
NRECA, representing electric co-ops, said: “The commission’s vote is a step in the right direction but still falls short of meeting the needs of rural communities. Affordable and reliable broadband access creates new ways to live, learn and earn in rural America. Rural families and businesses should not be subjected to second-class service simply because of their ZIP code. Consumer residential and business demands have already surpassed the benchmark approved today. With that in mind, the FCC should move to set future-proof benchmark speeds of at least 100/100 Mbps to ensure the broadband needs of rural communities can be met as demand continues to grow.”
