Revisiting the Definition of Broadband

Will the Federal Communications Commission raise the definition of broadband to 100/20 Mbps? It looks like that probably doesn’t happen until Congress approves a fifth FCC commissioner. But we  need to understand that a 100/20 Mbps definition of broadband is not forward-looking and will start being obsolete and too slow from the day it is approved. We need a mechanism to change the definition of broadband annually, or at least more often than we have been doing. The market has already told the FCC that 100 Mbps is quickly becoming last year’s news. Within a year, when 60% or 70% of the public is buying broadband speeds of at least 200 Mbps, it will be obvious that 100 Mbps broadband is already in the rearview mirror for most Americans. Unfortunately, the definition of broadband has political and financial overtones. It determines who can win grants. A higher definition of broadband can declare that certain technologies are no longer considered to be broadband. In a perfect world, directed by the public demand for broadband, the definition of broadband would increase every year.