Minimum broadband speeds are likely too low, government watchdog says
0Reported today on The Verge
For the full article visit: https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/8/22568454/broadband-minimum-speeds-small-businesses
Reported today in The Verge.
Minimum broadband speeds are likely too low, government watchdog says
Since 2015, the Federal Communications Commission has maintained that minimum broadband speed should stay the same: 25 megabits per second for downloading files, and 3 megabits per second for uploading.
Now, a government watchdog is telling the FCC to re-evaluate these rules in a new report, saying small businesses in 2021 require more bandwidth to effectively run their operations. The report, produced by the Government Accountability Office, also shows examples of small businesses around the country which aren't even getting the minimum speed required by the FCC.
This isn't the first time the FCC has faced heat over its broadband minimums. Earlier this year a group of senators called for the agency to raise the bottom limit to 100 Mbps for both download and upload speed.
The FCC has basically admitted that it has very little reliable data on whether people are getting the mandated minimum speeds, or access at all. Its broadband coverage maps are based on self-reported data from internet providers, who are incentivized to overstate their coverage to shirk regulation. It has attempted to create speed test apps to get more direct information, and collected complaints directly from consumers.
Anonymized data visualized by The Verge paints a much bleaker picture than the FCC has admitted, with many counties reporting less than 10 percent broadband availability at minimum speeds.
But the GAO contends that there's enough evidence to reconsider these rules. Reports from small businesses show that many want a minimum of 100 Mbps download speed, and up to 1 gigabyte per second for offices with dozens of employees. Even Zoom recommends at least 3.8 Mbps of upload speed to make high-