FCC to eliminate gigabit speed goal and scrap analysis of broadband prices

In a significant policy shift, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is abandoning the Biden administration's benchmarks for assessing universal broadband access. This move will allow the FCC to rate the broadband sector more favorably in its annual progress reports, even if it doesn't achieve complete coverage. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has put forward a proposal that suggests the industry could receive a positive evaluation despite not reaching 100% deployment. The plan also does away with aggressive targets for gigabit broadband speeds and halts efforts to monitor broadband affordability. According to Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act, the FCC must evaluate whether broadband is being deployed 'on a reasonable and timely basis' to all Americans. Should the assessment indicate that deployment is lacking, the law mandates that the FCC must act swiftly to enhance infrastructure investment and foster competition within the telecommunications sector. Historically, Democratic-led commissions have concluded that the industry is falling short in providing universal broadband access, while their Republican counterparts have often found the opposite to be true. Furthermore, Democratic commissions have periodically raised the benchmarks for evaluating advanced telecommunications, while Republican commissioners have maintained existing speed standards. Carr's proposal, unveiled on Thursday and set for a vote on August 7, critiques the previous administration's methodology. His approach aims to concentrate the FCC's investigations on the ongoing deployment of broadband rather than solely assessing whether it has already been established. Carr argues that this new focus would better align with the statutory language and provide more relevant information to both Congress and the public. He criticized the previous administration for a binary view that deemed anything less than full deployment as inadequate, effectively ignoring the importance of the term 'is being deployed.' Additionally, Carr's plan suggests that the FCC should refrain from probing into 'extraneous' issues like whether broadband pricing is affordable.