FCC digs deeper into broadband deployment

The Federal Communications Commission launched rulemakings to examine broadband deployment in the United States, as well as how to measure availability of and access to high-speed Internet services offered by wireless, wireline and cable TV providers.
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has been under fire by Democrats over how the FCC currently measures broadband penetration, while President Bush remains a big target of criticism over the stature of U.S. broadband access in comparison to other countries. Some rankings have the U.S. below a dozen other countries on broadband penetration, but Martin and other Republicans downplay those rankings and point to statistics they claim support major progress on broadband development and access.
“If the Commission had prudently invested in better broadband data-gathering a decade ago, I believe we’d all be better off-not just the government, but more importantly, consumers and industry,” said Commissioner Michael Copps, a Democrat. “We’d have a better handle on how to fix the problem because we’d have a better understanding of the problem. We would already have granular data, reported by carriers, on the range of broadband speeds and prices that consumers in urban, suburban, exurban, rural and tribal areas currently face. We would know which factors-like age, gender, education, race, income, disability status, and so forth-most affect consumer broadband decisions. We would understand how various markets respond to numerous variables.”
Martin views the rulemakings as building on progress under his leadership.
“While we have made progress recently, as I have said before, there is more we can do,” the FCC chief stated. “For example, the commission is committed to obtaining the best information possible about the deployment, access and affordability of broadband services nationwide.”