OEA Data Shows Digital Divide Closing, FCC Says
FCC Office of Economics and Analytics data shows the digital divide is closing, said an agency release Thursday. Americans living in areas without access to terrestrial fixed broadband of at least 25/3 Mbps decreased 46% from the end of 2016…
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to the end of 2019. The data is based on Form 477 filings. “Services at higher speeds saw even more significant deployment, with the number of Americans living in areas without broadband speeds of at least 250/25 Mbps falling by 77% since the end of 2016,” the release said. “In just three years, the number of American consumers living in areas without access to fixed broadband has been almost cut in half,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “Today’s report confirms that our work enabled the private sector to deliver record-breaking results,” said Commissioner Brendan Carr. “The FCC should continue to prioritize a connectivity agenda and pursue reforms that will incentivize buildout of Internet infrastructure.” Free Press Policy Manager Dana Floberg disputed the FCC's progress on the digital divide. "As @freepress has shown time & again, Pai is actually taking credit for the passage of time -- not for anything his FCC has done," she tweeted. "At last count, 92% of fiber deployments made under Pai's term were actually planned & announced under his predecessor -- when #TitleII was in place!" That's referring to net neutrality and the Communications Act.