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1 1 (July 12, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/goveebd0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Service h carCn b ~i I si July 12, 2021 Raising the Minimum Fixed Broadband Speed Benchmark: Background and Selected Issues The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic demonstrated the impact that bro adb and (i.e., high-speed internet access)-or a lack thereof-has on daily life. Broadband service is provided over many types of technologies, including cable, telephone wire, fiber, satellite, and mobile and fixed wireless. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has set a minimum fixed broadband speedthat serves as thebenchmarkfor its determination whether broadband is being deployed to all Americans in areasonable and timely fashion. It is directed to make this determinationby Section706(b)of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-104) (Section 706 hereinafter). If its determination is negative, the FCC is directed to take action to accelerate deployment through theestablishment of new broadband programs or to use regulatory tools to remove barriers to infrastructure investment and competition. Currently, the FCC's minimum fixed broadband speed benchmarkis 25 megabits per second (Mbps) for downloading and 3 Mbps for uploading data, commonly referred to as 25/3 Mbps. There are many online applications for which 25/3 Mbps is adequate-browsing, email, and video streaming to a single device. However, some stakeholders are calling for a higher benchmark, citing a variety of uses thatrequire increased speeds. For example, faster speeds would allow multiple users in a household to simultaneously participate in high-definition video conferencing for workor school, browse, stream videos, and play online games. Additionally, faster speeds may allow users to keep up with future bandwidth demands associated with a shift of many household functions online, such as phone and television service, thermostats, video doorbells and security cameras, and connected appliances. According to the FCC, 14.5 million Americans currently lack broadband at the 25/3 Mbps benchmark. Congress might considerhow to best ensure the provision of adequate broadband s ervice to areas and users that currently lackit and encourage the development and provision of faster broadband service across new and existing networks. An additionalconsideration is what benchmark speed would allow the multiple uses identified above, but is not so high as to make build-out costs prohibitive. The Federal Communications Commission and Section 706 Section 706 requires the FCC, an independent government agency overseenby Congress, to determine annually whether broadband is being deployed to all Americans on a reasonable and timely basis. It does soby collecting data on whether broadband service that meets the speed benchmark is available to users in a geographic area. As part of this https://crsreports assessment, the FCC also considers whether the minimum benchmarkspeedis appropriate. In 2015, the FCC, citing changing broadband use patterns with multiple devices requiring broadband service within a household, raised its benchmarkfrom4/1 Mbps to 25/3 Mbps. In 2021, the FCC concluded thatbroadband service is being deployed in a reasonable and timely fashion, and that the25/3 Mbps benchmark continued to be appropriate. Policy Considerations Associated with Raising the Minimum Fixed Broadband Speed Benchmark FCC 706 Determination Raising the minimum speed benchmarkmay make it more likely that the FCC would find that broadband deployment is not occurring in a reasonable and timely fashion and increase thenumber ofhouseholds it considers unserved. This may precipitate the need for the FCC to take further action in the formof new broadband programs or initiatives to speed deployment, or regulatory action-such as streamlining infrastructure deploymentrules. The FCC may also consider the adequacy of broadband adoption-if broadband is physically deployed to a particular area but is not affordable-under Section 706. Additionally, the affordability of devices such as smartphones, laptops, andtablets may leave some users unable to take advantage of broadbandevenifit is available, which the FCC may decide to address through subsidy programs. Consistent Federal Agency Speed Thresholds Federal agencies administering broadband programs use minimum speed benchmarks to identify areas of the country where broadband providers may be eligible to receive subsidies to provide service that meets or exceeds the benchmark. There are inconsistencies across agencies. For example, the FCC broadband benchmark is 25/3 Mbps, while the U.S. Department of Agriculture uses 10/1 Mbps. Whetherornot theFCCincreases its minimumspeed benchmark, Congress might consider specifying the FCC benchmark as the standard for all federal agencies administering broadband programs. A potential consequence ofraising the speed benchmarkis that federal funds intended to provide serviceto areas currently without any broadband service may be redirected to areas that currently meet the existing 25/3 Mbps benchmark for upgrades to existing networks. In many cases, networkupgrades are less costly than deploying new networks in sparsely populated andremote areas, or areas with difficult terrain. Congress may want to consider .congress.gov

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