FCC: 68% Of U.S. Connections Slower than 3 Mbps Down, 768kbps Up As critics say FCC reports still gloss over competitive shortcomings New data (pdf) from the FCC suggests that most consumers aren't getting speeds that technically adhere to the agency's new definition of broadband, which was recently changed to 4 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream. According to the study, more than two-thirds (68%) of the 90,963,000 U.S. broadband connections tracked were too slow down or upstream (or both) to technically qualify as high-speed service -- not even meeting 3Mbps/768 kbps. 58% of connections measured (76,594,000 connections) were slower than 3 Mbps downstream. 49% of connections (65,942,000 connections) featured upstream speeds slower than 768kbps.

Some of those users may be on slow connections by choice. Some of those users may be on slow connections because the lack of any significant competition means companies aren't pressured to upgrade their networks. The FCC study doesn't specify because the FCC study doesn't take a real look at competition. As we've complained about for years, the FCC has traditionally made broadband policy decisions based on flawed and incomplete data. Part of the 1996 Telecom Act required that the agency release quarterly reports on the status of broadband deployment. Unfortunately for consumers, that data has always been slightly better than useless -- with the FCC declaring any zip code that has just one served broadband customer in it to be "wired" for service. This flawed methodology has dictated FCC policy for years. In recent years the FCC has paid a lot of lip service to better data collection, which has resulted in a few improvements -- such as raising the speed benchmark to 4 Mbps. Still, the FCC keeps much of the real data on competition from public viewing, and the data that is released tends to gloss over the fact that most consumers have the choice of just one or two providers. This latest report didn't sit well with consumer advocacy group Free Press, who says the FCC still isn't adhering to promises made as part of the national broadband plan: quote: "The FCC continues its practice of releasing highly flawed and misleading analysis about the broadband marketplace that grossly overstates the level of broadband competition. The shortcomings in this report are inexcusable and suggest that Chairman Genachowski's commitment to run a 'data-driven' agency is thus far just an empty slogan.“In 2008, the Commission made major changes to its broadband data collection practices. The new data was intended to allow the agency to examine the relationship between market concentration and broadband quality, price and adoption. But instead, the FCC continues to fail to take advantage of this information, choosing to publish misleading analysis in the same mold as the widely criticized reports released under Chairman Michael Powell and Chairman Kevin Martin. Of course if FCC releases data showing how the United States broadband market suffers from a significant lack of competition, then somebody might actually notice that the FCC's national broadband plan Of course if FCC releases data showing how the United States broadband market suffers from a significant lack of competition, then somebody might actually notice that the FCC's national broadband plan fails utterly to do anything about it







News Jump Broad Coalition Urges Court Not To Block Cali Net Neutrality Law; GOP To Trump: Please Don't Nationalize 5G; + more news SpaceX Providing Internet To Towns Hit by Wildfires; Verizon Launches New 5G Home Hardware In Twin Cities; + more news Stark New Reality In The Telco Business: Dumb Pipes No Longer Cut It; AT&T Unveils Mix and Match Plans; + more news AT&T Extends Overage Charge Waiver; Verizon And T-Mobile Each Insist Their 5G Strategy Is The Right One; + more news War Of Words Heats Up: T-Mobile Fires Back At Verizon, AT&T; Amazon Intros Gaming Service To Take On Stadia; + more news Starlink's Network Faces Huge Limitations; AT&T Whines T-Mobile Merger Put Too Much Spectrum In One Place; + more news WISPs Get CBRS Range As Great As Six Miles At 100 Mbps Speeds; Windstream Officially Exits Bankruptcy; + more news Charter Relaunches Free 60-day Internet And Wi-Fi Offer; NCTA: FCC Should Stick With 25/3 Speed Threshold; + more news Comcast Shuts Off Internet for Subs Who Were Sold Service Illegally; AT&T, Verizon Team To Stop T-Mobile 5G; + more news California Defends Its Net Neutrality Law; AT&T's Traffic Up 20% Despite Data Traffic Actually Being Down; + more news ---------------------- this week last week most discussed