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FCC Eyes Longer-Term Goal of Raising Internet Speed Metric to 1Gbps
The FCC is already looking at raising its definition for minimum broadband speeds to 100Mbps. But now the US regulator also wants to lay the foundation for raising the metric even further to 1Gbps down the line.
The effort is part of a notice of inquiry that the FCC launched on Wednesday. Since last year, the commission has been talking about raising the federal minimum broadband speed definition to 100Mbps for downloads and 20Mbps for uploads, an increase from the current 25/3Mbps metric.
The notice of inquiry formally kicks off the process of updating the FCC’s broadband metrics, which will involve asking the public—including consumers and ISPs—for feedback; the FCC could then choose to develop a formal rule to be voted on following more public feedback.
Interestingly, the same inquiry also wants to ask the public on whether the FCC should set a long-term goal of eventually raising the speed benchmark to 1Gbps/500Mbps. “In evaluating broadband deployment, we must not only look at the present, but also to the future,” it says.
The speed metric is important because it helps determine where the FCC allocates funding to subsidize new broadband networks. The commission’s broadband map currently shows that most of the US seemingly has fast internet — but that’s because by default it defines high-speed broadband at 25Mbps/3Mbps. If you calibrate the map to show only 100Mbps/25Mbps speeds over wired-based networks, the map drastically changes to show speed gaps across the country.
The FCC seems to have settled on the 1Gbps/500Mbps metric since the commission’s federal subsidies to fund broadband networks have already been pushing ISPs to hit gig speeds. The US regulator added: “Establishing a long-term goal could not only give notice to policymakers and market participants as to how advanced telecommunications capability is likely to be defined in the near future, but also give all parties, government and industry alike, a collective goal toward which to strive.”
The FCC also wants to set the goal, noting some states may still be using 25/3Mbps as their standard for some programs "While funding recipients may well dramatically exceed such benchmarks, we are concerned that our lack of a long-term goal may be sending an inappropriate signal to other policymakers,” the commission added.
In response, the FCC wants the public’s input on whether it should adopt the 1Gbps as a long-term goal, and how “long-term” should be defined.
“We note that the length of support for many commission high-cost programs is 10 years,” the FCC added. “Would a different speed than 1Gbps/500Mbps be a more appropriate long-term benchmark?... Should we adopt a symmetrical long-term benchmark?”
But not everyone on the FCC is in favor of raising the broadband metric to 1Gbps. In a statement, Commissioner Nathan Simington, a Trump appointee, said: “All else being equal, no one would choose 100/20Mbps service over 1000/500Mbps service, but the vast majority of consumers do not materially benefit from such high speeds, and deploying such high-speed service is not free.”
“A 100/20Mbps connection is fast enough to watch multiple 4K-quality streams, make multiple video calls, and play multiple online games, all at the same time,” he added. “New applications may one day require more bandwidth, but it is premature to set a target based on hypothetical use cases that may not materialize or, that when they do, might require even more than 1000/500Mbps anyway.”
https://www.pcmag.com/news/fcc-eyes-longer-term-goal-of-raising-internet-speed-metric-to-1gbps
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