Wireless industry: Disclosure easier for fixed broadband providers

The wireless industry opposed the possibility of government rules on how companies disclose broadband speeds, arguing that fixed broadband providers would have an easier time with such mandates.

CTIA, the wireless industry lobbying organization, told the Federal Communications Commission in a July 8 filing that the "unique characteristics" of wireless service set it apart from fixed broadband, making perfect accuracy an impossibility for mobile providers. "Wireless data rates are extremely dynamic," the filing said. "CTIA's own speed test across multiple wireless devices and carriers shows that there can be as much as a 97 percent drop in speed, followed by a 1,200 percent increase in a single three-minute period even without movement by the consumer."