Today: US House Broadband Legislation, FCC Draft Broadband Deployment Report
US House Releases Additional Broadband Legislation
House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) announced a third series of bills introduced by #SubCommTech members aimed at expanding broadband infrastructure in rural America. The bills aim to advance broadband deployment in disaster areas, as well as support innovation and remove obstacles to expansion.
FCC Draft Broadband Deployment Report
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced he had shared with his fellow commissioners the draft 2018 Broadband Deployment Report. According to the Chairman, the draft report maintains the same benchmark speed for fixed broadband service previously adopted and concludes that mobile broadband service is not a full substitute for fixed service. Instead, it notes there are differences between the two technologies, including clear variations in consumer preferences and demands. He said: “The draft report indicates that the pace of both fixed and mobile broadband deployment declined dramatically in the two years following the prior Commission’s Title II Order. However, the draft report also discussed how, over the course of the past year, the current Commission has taken steps to reduce barriers to infrastructure investment and promote competition in the broadband marketplace. Taken together, these policies indicate that the current FCC is now meeting its statutory mandate to encourage the deployment of broadband on a reasonable and timely basis.” Read the Fact Sheet here.
Responding to the release of draft, Commissioner Clyburn said, in part: “By the FCC’s own admission, over 24 million Americans are still without high-speed broadband access where they live…So how can this agency now claim that broadband is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion? Only by repeating the majority’s tired and debunked claims that broadband investment and innovation screeched to a halt in 2015. While my initial review of Chairman Pai’s draft report raises serious concerns, I acknowledge that it addresses one of my concerns by now correctly concluding that mobile and fixed connectivity are not substitutes. I look forward to carefully reviewing the findings presented in the draft report
____________________________
The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s daily blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of an Inteserra Briefing.