Next Century Cities Lauds FCC Plan to Keep 25 Mbps Standard; Incompas Seeks Gigabit Speeds
Next Century Cities praised an FCC proposal to keep a 25 Mbps broadband benchmark in a draft report circulated by Chairman Ajit Pai (see 1801180053). "Maintaining this federal standard is essential to ensuring that all Americans are adequately connected to…
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high-speed broadband services. We are glad the FCC shifted from its original plan to reduce broadband quality and instead will stay with the current 25/3 Mbps standard, and does not see mobile as ‘a full substitute’ for the high-quality broadband all Americans deserve,” said Deb Socia, executive director. NCC said the FCC backed off declaring mobile a substitute "after public pressure" from the "#MobileOnly Challenge" it and others organized (see 1712180057). “If we want to keep our economy chugging along, then we must put broadband networks and the internet on a bullet train to the future," Incompas CEO Chip Pickering said. "Increasing the fixed broadband benchmark to one Gigabit would encourage greater competition, lower prices, and unleash investment." Pickering lauded Pai and the commission for their "continued focus on broadband deployment," and urged them to take new actions to spur competition: "We support the Commission adopting policies that lower barriers for competitors, such as One Touch, Make Ready for pole attachments. The FCC should also clarify that it will not preempt any city or state that enables broadband competition in multi-tenant buildings, and it should open a rulemaking that makes clear that exclusive access arrangements are not permitted. Consumers living in condos or apartments have a right to competition too.”