After years of advocacy, INCOMPAS is hoping the FCC is finally ready to give the green light to raising internet speed benchmarks in the United States.
In a
letter to the FCC last week, INCOMPAS once again urged the Commission to raise the current 25/3 Mbps standard to 1 Gigabit.
“Since 2017, we have urged the FCC to increase internet speed benchmarks to 1 Gigabit - it’s a faster standard that consumers want and the market can easily deliver,” said INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering. “Other nations, including China and those in Europe, have gigabit goals in place and it’s time for the FCC to deliver faster speeds or risk slowing down our economy.”
Last month FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated a Notice of Inquiry starting a proceeding to move the standard to 100/20 Mbps with a future goal of 1 Gigabit. INCOMPAS supports positive movement from the FCC and plans to continue advocating for implementing a gigabit speed standard immediately.
The letter states: “We have the ability and responsibility as Americans to go big and bold on broadband. Now is the time to take steps toward achieving a future of connectivity with faster speeds and affordable prices in the U.S. We are looking to the Commission’s leadership to establish a new broadband speed goal that enables all Americans to access high-speed internet no matter where they live or work. It is time to set that goal to 1 Gigabit.”
The INCOMPAS letter also highlights the fact that incumbent providers are also deploying and advertising gigabit speed services:
“With Congressional support, tens of billions of dollars are being invested in new broadband infrastructure that is bringing more affordable, faster internet services to both unserved and underserved areas of the U.S. This is an important step in the right direction for building our nation’s future networks, and prioritizing networks that can offer future-proof capabilities means that more consumers will obtain 1 Gbps and beyond capabilities in the near future. Indeed, while competitive providers have been on the leading edge of gigabit speed deployment, large incumbents are now expressing eagerness to deploy fiber as they seek to obtain Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding.”