Outgoing FCC chair Ajit Pai released the Commission’s annual broadband deployment report just a day before his departure. Pai’s report says, “We conclude that fixed services with speeds of 25/3Mbps continue to meet the statutory definition of advanced telecommunications capability.”
What? The FCC has been using 25/3 (25Mbps download speed and 3Mbps upload speed) as a benchmark for the past six years. 25/3 may meet some engineering definition of high-speed broadband, but when you can easily get 1Gbps symmetrical service in most major metros, you can’t call 25/3 an “appropriate measure” of success.
Let’s take the politics out of it. (I know that’s hard to do.) We need competitively-priced, real (as in, 300Mbps to 500Mbps) high-speed broadband for every American, no matter where they live or where they work. It will increase productivity and help harness the creative potential of every American. Hopefully, the next FCC chair will have the vision to set better goals.
Author’s note: This is not a sponsored post. I am the author of this article and it expresses my own opinions. I am not, nor is my company, receiving compensation for it.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with AI strategy, implementation and governance, as well as technology, media and marketing. Named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices in Technology, he is a bestselling author, covers tech and business for Fox 5’s Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN, and writes the popular daily business blog Think About This. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.