Would You Like a Little Competition with Your Broadband?

On June 6, initial comments are due in the Federal Communications Commission's recurring proceeding that assesses the state of competition in the communications marketplace, including broadband. In its last Communications Marketplace Report, published in December 2022, the FCC pointed to the potential for more competitive broadband markets.  Although millions of Americans lacked access to high-speed broadband or could only access high-speed broadband through a single provider, the FCC found "this market is on the cusp of generational change."  The Infrastructure and Investment and Jobs Act earmarked $65 billion for continued broadband adoption and deployment throughout the country. The FCC’s own effort to develop new broadband maps, the Commission predicted, would help identify broadband gaps and better target federal support. New technologies like 5G fixed wireless services were being deployed and, the FCC posited, could provide new competition to traditional fixed broadband services, particularly in rural areas. In this year's proceeding, the FCC is inviting industry stakeholders, the public, and all other interested parties to submit information, comments, and analyses pertaining to 2022, 2023, and any notable trends and developments that have occurred during early 2024. The FCC asks that parties submit relevant current and historic data that are comparable over time. The FCC has two aims for the report that result from all this public comment:

1. assess the state of competition in the communications marketplace, and
2. determine if any laws, regulations, regulatory practices, or demonstrated marketplace practices pose a barrier to competitive entry into the communications marketplace or to the competitive expansion of existing providers of communications services.