CAF Target Speed: CWA Wants 10 Mbps

Perhaps unsurprisingly the Communications Workers of America would like to see the Federal Communications Commission raise the target speed for the Connect America Fund to 10 Mbps from its current 4 Mbps – a move the FCC has been considering for several months.

That program aims to make several billion dollars available to the nation’s largest price cap carriers to bring broadband to rural areas of the country where broadband is not available today. “CWA represents the workforce at the largest price-cap carriers,” wrote CWA President Larry Cohen in a letter sent to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. “Carefully balancing the CAF rules to encourage participation by the price cap carriers will support quality, career jobs in rural America and ensure that there is a qualified workforce immediately available to build, maintain and service CAF supported broadband networks.” Building out networks supporting 10 Mbps would be a bigger project than building 4 Mbps networks and, therefore, would create greater job security for carrier employees. Additionally the number of homes that would be considered unserved could increase substantially if the higher speed target were chosen.