FCC Launches Inquiry on Broadband Deployment

This Notice of Inquiry (Inquiry) seeks input on the Federal Communications Commission's annual broadband progress report.

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires the FCC annually to “initiate a notice of inquiry concerning the availability of advanced telecommunications capability to all Americans (including, in particular, elementary and secondary schools and classrooms).” In conducting this Inquiry, the FCC must “determine whether advanced telecommunications capability is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion. In the last two broadband progress reports, the FCC found that broadband was not being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion. The FCC encourages individual consumers, consumer advocates, analysts, companies, policy institutes, governmental entities, and others to provide objective, empirical data and evidence to help it complete this task. The FCC seeks comment in particular on the questions set forth below. The FCC also encourages commenters to bring new issues concerning broadband to its attention and recommend new ways to measure and evaluate broadband deployment and availability. The information gathered in this proceeding will help ensure that the FCC’s broadband policies are well informed and data driven as it strives to reach our goal of universal broadband availability.

Comments are due September 6; reply comments are due October 4.