FCC hears objections to symmetrical broadband definition

The Federal Communications Commission is suggesting raising the national fixed broadband speed benchmark to 100/20 Megabits per second (Mbps) from its current definition of 25/3 Mbps. Some fiber providers asked for the FCC to propose even higher speeds, at 100/100 Mbps, but a cohort of industry groups have objected to that symmetrical tier being a fair requirement in today's landscape. Those who responded to the FCC’s ask for comment on the proposal have overwhelmingly supported the benchmark increase, as most would agree that 25/3 Mbps is a slow and outdated speed threshold. But fiber providers like Google Fiber, ALLO and Ting advocated that upload speeds are just as essential as download speeds, with new realities like work from home and the demands of video conferencing and telehealth. “An asymmetrical standard implies that entertainment use cases for the internet are more important than productivity uses that consistently require more upload bandwidth,” they wrote. Meanwhile, in its comment to the FCC, the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) said future benchmarks like 100/100 Mbps “can only be established in the future, when they become relevant based on marketplace forces and technological advancement.”