Internet Speeds Wireless Can Live With

Wireless Infrastructure Association CEO Jonathan Adelstein is feeling “very encouraged” by recent Capitol Hill machinations over how to structure the $65 billion chunk of the bipartisan infrastructure deal intended to close the digital divide. He cited recent rumblings that lawmakers may ultimately opt for lower minimum internet speed requirements than what Democrats had previously hoped for. Democrats had wanted to require super-fast download and upload speeds of 100 Megabits per second — speeds Adelstein and others warned would only allow for more expensive fiber-optic buildout and would effectively prevent cable, satellite and wireless companies from competing for subsidies. But Adelstein now suggests senators are looking at making the speed requirements 100 Mbps download and just 20 Mbps upload, well within the range wireless companies can offer. “Both [fiber and wireless] are part of the solution,” he said. “It’s a dangerous time to experiment with putting all our eggs in a single fiber basket.”