Migration From Wireless to Wired Networks During the Pandemic--It's More Than the Squint Factor

One small silver lining in the Covid-19 virulent cloud: an unsponsored and truly unbiased empirical test whether wireless broadband networks offer a direct competitive alternative to wired broadband.  The answer is clear: No.  Not even close. Despite all the happy talk and sponsored researcher advocacy, broadband consumers understand the financial incentive to use Wi-Fi access to wired broadband wherever available. When homebound consumers have access to wireless broadband access via their smartphones and wired broadband access via personal computers and Wi-Fi, they opt for the latter. It makes sense both in terms of the user experience and the pocketbook. Since 2017, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai brazenly has asserted that wireless broadband networks constitute a direct competitive alternative to wired options. This assertion supports his longstanding goal of deregulating early and often on grounds that the marketplace forces discipline and self-regulation without the need for government involvement.