Rosenworcel Proposes Increase in Broadband Standard to 100/20Mbps
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated a notice of inquiry Friday on "increasing the national standard for minimum broadband speeds and proposed setting a long-term goal for broadband speed," said a news release. The NOI would "kick off the agency’s annual…
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evaluation of the state of broadband across the country." Rosenworcel proposed setting the national broadband standard at 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload. “The needs of internet users long ago surpassed the FCC’s 25/3 speed metric, especially during a global health pandemic that moved so much of life online,” Rosenworcel said: “The 25/3 metric isn’t just behind the times, it’s a harmful one because it masks the extent to which low-income neighborhoods and rural communities are being left behind and left offline." If adopted, Rosenworcel's proposal would set the national broadband speed at 1 Gbps/500 Mbps in the future. The FCC in 2015 updated the broadband speed to 25/3 Mbps. Rosenworcel also proposed that the commission "consider affordability, adoption, availability, and equitable access as part of its determination as to whether broadband is being deployed in a reasonable and timely fashion." "We applaud Chairwoman Rosenworcel’s announcement today that she is proposing to increase the national standard for minimum broadband speeds and to set a long-term objective as well," said NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield. Incompas is "pleased" Rosenworcel took the "important first step toward increasing internet speed benchmarks, and we encourage the entire FCC to think bigger and bolder by setting gigabit goals," said CEO Chip Pickering: "The US invented the internet, but we have fallen behind China, Europe and other nations who have set much higher standards than are currently being proposed." “Ensuring that today’s internet speeds are sufficient for current and future use has been a persistent challenge in the urgent effort to bridge the digital divide," said a National Rural Electric Cooperative Association spokesperson. Friday's announcement is "a strong step in the right direction."