Amid FCC survey on broadband speeds, associations quick to point out satisfaction statistic

The Federal Communications Commission is attempting to educate consumers about broadband speeds, and at the same time, is seeking comment on how mobile broadband speeds should be measured.
Broadband access, including mobile broadband connections, are coming under increased scrutiny in Congress and at the FCC as data connectivity continues to grow and voice penetration rates near saturation. The agency yesterday issued a press release titled, “FCC survey finds 4 out of 5 Americans don’t know their broadband speeds,” but the survey also found that 91% of people surveyed were either very or somewhat satisfied with their broadband connections at home and 71% are satisfied with their mobile broadband speeds.
Wireless associations CTIA and the Rural Cellular Association both were quick to comment on the survey, which also found that 92% of Americans are satisfied with their cellular service. “As the commission seeks comment on wireless broadband networks speeds, it will find that the variety of factors that wireless network engineers contend with every day – such as congestion, the mobility of wireless subscribers, weather conditions and the consumer’s chosen wireless device – all bear on the speeds a consumer receives, by the second, on a wireless broadband network,” said CTIA President and CEO Steve Largent in a prepared statement. “Since the wireless broadband environment is constantly changing, it is difficult, if not impossible, to provide a speed certain for all consumers on a wireless network. Instead, wireless providers offer consumers a range of typical speeds that more accurately mirror the wireless broadband experience and they continue to aggressively invest to provide ever-faster speeds for their consumers.”
For its part, RCA used the survey and accompanying Notice of Inquiry to comment on a couple of issues on its agenda, including implementing technology-neutral reforms to the Universal Service Fund, which could be used to drive wireless broadband deployment in rural areas, and regulations that encourage data roaming agreements with large carriers, as well as changes to handset exclusivity agreements because smaller carriers generally do not get exclusive deals for the most innovative devices.
“I applaud the FCC’s work to collect this important data. It is clear that consumers are choosing wireless, and the FCC’s survey further proves that wireless is a good alternative to fixed services. In order for the FCC to maintain a healthy marketplace and to act on behalf of consumers, especially those in rural areas, it must look to fund the future of wireless as it continues to reform USF,” said RCA President & CEO Steven K. Berry. “Also noteworthy in the survey is the FCC’s finding that minorities tend to access wireless services more often via mobile devices. The FCC must ensure that all consumers have access to high-end handsets, so that consumers are able to access the Internet. The FCC also should continue its presumption in favor of data roaming which would benefit all consumers, including minorities.”
The FCC’s initiative is asking for 10,000 volunteers to test their broadband speeds, which the agency then can compare to advertised speeds. The NOI asks for comments on how to measure mobile broadband speed. “More and more consumers are using mobile wireless devices to access the Web, sometimes as a primary Internet connection,” the FCC said. “The public notice asks for input on the best ways to measure mobile broadband speeds, the ways that speed measurements can be used to help improve service, and the information consumers should have about the speed of mobile broadband coverage.”
As part of its continuing interest in broadband regulation, the FCC has an NOI on broadband regulation on its June 17 tentative agenda. The agency has been trying to figure out how to regulate broadband services since an appeals court ruled in April that the FCC does not have the authority to regulate broadband services because they are information services, not telecom services. The FCC is looking at a third way to regulate the Internet that “would reaffirm that the Internet remains unregulated and Internet-based information services remain generally unregulated under Title I of the Communications Act; identify the Internet connectivity service that is offered as part of wired broadband Internet service as a telecommunications service; and forbear under Section 10 of the Act from applying all provisions of Title II other than the small number that are needed to implement fundamental universal service, competition, and consumer protection policies.”
Medley Advisers said the commission may have chosen an NOI to seek comment on the issue rather than a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking because it wants as much flexibility as possible on the controversial issue. “That the FCC is utilizing a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) rather than a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to solicit public comment on broadband re-regulation is not necessary insignificant. At a minimum, it suggests the FCC, appreciative of the dicey, highly charged political dynamics in play, wants to keep its options open to the greatest extent possible in a way that perhaps buys time for a compromise at a later date,” wrote Medley analyst Jeffrey Silva. “At the same time, a clear path forward for policymakers is bound to prove elusive for an extended duration. Major policy shifts historically have required some semblance of consensus among lawmakers and major stakeholders. In this case, even while warring factions appear to have coalesced around the notion of limited government oversight of broadband, the debate remains highly polarized over the ways and means to give legally sustainable policy expression to it.”