Jessica Rosenworcel, chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), wants to raise the agency's internet speed threshold from 3Mbps to 20Mbps for uploads and from 25Mbps to 100Mbps for downloads.
Additional 75Mbps to download and 17 Mbps to Upload
The 25Mbps broadband standard set by the FCC looked fast in 2015, but the organization's current leadership thinks it's time to increase that standard. Rosenworcel proposed for the minimum requirements for broadband to be changed to 100 Mbps for downloads and 20 Mbps for uploads, according to Engadget.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's requirements for building new networks, among other pieces of evidence, were cited by the chair as supporting the hike. Although the FCC had earlier proposed a specific initiative to improve rural speeds, this would change the definition of broadband regardless of where users resided in the nation.
The 25/3Mbps Metric
Under the leadership of then-Chairman Tom Wheeler, the commission adopted the current 25/3Mbps download-upload speed in January 2015. Former Chairman Ajit Pai, who led the commission for four years, never revised it. Pai determined that 25Mbps download and 3Mbps upload speeds were still sufficient for home Internet users in January 2021, as per Ars Technica.
According to Rosenworcel, the 25/3 standard is out-of-date and hides the number of low-income and rural internet users being "left behind and left offline."
1Gbps Download and 500Mbps Upload Speed in the Future
Rosenworcel also desired a gradual increase in the minimum speed. In the future, she suggested establishing a far higher requirement of 1Gbps down and 500Mbps up. The leader added further criteria, such as adoption rates, price, availability, and equitable access, to determine the "reasonable and timely" expansion of broadband, Engadget reported.
What Are the Requirements for the Proposed 75/17 Mbps Metric Get Approved
It's uncertain if the standards will improve. Engadget and Ars Technica mentioned that co-commissioners received the proposed Notice of Inquiry from Rosenworcel. Due to the Senate's continued delay over Biden candidate Gigi Sohn, the proposal still needs to be voted on by the commission, which currently has two Democrats and two Republicans in a deadlock.
Perhaps not thrilled either are telecoms. Comcast just increased the speed of its $10 Essentials tier to 50Mbps downstream last year; in order to meet the 100Mbps minimum in some places, let alone a potential 1Gbps threshold, it and other carriers may need to invest in better networks.
Ars Technica said that according to U.S. law, the FCC is required to determine annually whether advanced telecommunications capability is being deployed to all Americans in a "reasonable and timely fashion" and to take immediate action to accelerate deployment and promote competition if current deployment is not "reasonable and timely." It was easier for Pai to give the telecom sector and FCC passing scores in the yearly reports by maintaining the 25/3Mbps requirement for residential Internet access.
Related Article: What Can I Do To Increase My Internet Speed?
