Jul 18, 2022 - Technology

FCC chair seeks to raise national broadband standard

Ina Fried

Photo of FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel in a jacket in front of a microphone — FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel is seeking to raise the internet connection speed considered "broadband," according to a notice posted on Friday.

Why it matters: The FCC set the current standard for minimum broadband speeds in 2015 and has not updated it since then, despite the increasing demands placed on internet connections.

Details: Under the proposal, users would have to get 100 megabits per second download speed and 20 megabits per second upload rate to qualify as having broadband access.

The current standard is 25 megabits per second for downloads and 3 megabits per second for uploads.
Rosenworcel also proposes setting even higher long-term goals for minimum broadband access.

The big picture: Industry players and Republicans have historically leaned toward laxer definitions of broadband, and right now the five-member FCC is deadlocked at 2 Democrats and 2 Republicans.

President Biden's nomination of Gigi Sohn to fill the tie-breaking open seat has stalled in Congress.

What they're saying:

Rosenworcel, in her announcement: “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. 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."

NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association CEO Shirley Bloomfield said in a statement: "NTCA has long advocated that, as a nation, we need to aim higher and do better when it comes to setting broadband objectives."

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FCC chair seeks to raise national broadband standard

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