The Current Definition of ‘Broadband’ Is Too Slow and Ajit Pai Refuses to Change it

With the Federal Communications Commission preparing its latest report of the state of broadband in the States, the focus has shifted once again to whether the current definition of broadband is currently fast enough. Especially on the upstream side of the aisle, where 3 Mbps is starting to look notably last-generation in the face of symmetrical, gigabit connections. And once again, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is hoping to keep the broadband definition bar set at ankle height.

In a recent Notice of Inquiry, Pai’s FCC proposed keeping the current 25/3 definition intact.  Again, adequately defining broadband is important because it determines whether the nation’s broadband providers are deploying "advanced telecommunications capability” to American consumers. Given the rise in 4K streaming, cloud storage, and next-gen services, it’s easy to see how the 3 Mbps upstream definition is starting to look a bit antiquated.