FCC under fire for outdated broadband definition, data

House Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) said the Federal Communications Commission’s gauge for measuring broadband speed and penetration in the United States is outdated. Dingell called for improved spectrum management and other actions to improve the nation’s broadband stature in the world.
“To meet our escalating needs, we must examine whether the current measure of broadband speed in this country is adequate,” Dingell wrote in an opinion published online by The Hill, a newspaper that reports on Congress. “In 1996, Congress directed the Federal Communications Commission to encourage the timely deployment to all Americans of capability enabling users ‘to originate and receive high-quality voice, data, graphics and video telecommunications.’ Curiously, the FCC continues to rely on the high-speed definition it set in 1999 as just 200 kilobits per second in only one direction.”
Dingell continued: “There is universal agreement that this is insufficient for cutting-edge applications such as streaming video (1 Mbps), medical monitoring (2.5 Mbps) or videoconferencing (6 Mbps). One need only ask any child playing educational games online whether our current broadband standard is too slow. Next, we must consider how effectively we measure the level of broadband penetration in this country. Frankly, the FCC’s current ZIP-code method of measuring broadband is neither useful nor accurate. A realistic assessment that maps actual deployment and adoption will better enable policy-makers to identify gaps in availability, price, and speed.”
The Government Accountability Office last year said the FCC’s compilation of broadband service providers per ZIP code was inflated, and that the agency’s data collection did not accurately reflect actual U.S. broadband deployment.
The latest FCC broadband data shows a huge jump in wireless broadband connections, based on the agency’s standard of speeds of at least 200 Kbps in one direction. FCC Kevin Martin said broadband deployment and access remains his top priority, one he is pursuing by championing policies to help the wireless industry compete in the high-speed Internet space against the cable TV-telephone broadband duopoly.
Dingell said the administration’s approach to broadband deployment and penetration is murky.
“The lack of an up-to-date, comprehensive strategy forces the communications sector to muddle through a landscape marked by disparate government programs,” Dingell said. “2007 has arrived and it remains unclear who, if anyone, in the administration is taking up the mantle of assuring affordable broadband access to those who most need it.”
Dingell said improving the nation’s global ranking on the broadband front will require a number of steps, including policies to ensure the public airwaves are governed wisely. “Greater spectrum demands require us to continue to find ways to increase access and efficiency while protecting existing licensees,” he said.