FCC Chair Proposes Raising the Broadband Definition to 100Mbps Down, 20Mbps Up

pcmag.com:

A non-trivial fraction of internet connections in the US will be relegated to Not Broadband status under a new–but not too surprising–proposal by FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel.

Instead of the broadband definition the FCC set back in 2015–download speeds of at least 25 megabits per second and uploads of at least 3Mbps–a wired internet connection would have to hit 100Mbps down and 20Mbps up to earn broadband status in the commission’s eyes. 

This suggestion came in an announcement Tuesday(Opens in a new window) of Rosenworcel’s bid to have the FCC expand its definition of nationwide broadband access to include “affordability, adoption, availability, and equitable access” and set a goal of 100% high-speed connectivity.

Almost every cable and fiber provider should be able to exceed the 100Mbps download-speed threshold. But the asymmetric nature of cable connectivity may leave many cable operators that brag about their fast download speeds struggling to hit 20Mbps on their uploads.

For example, while Comcast has been deploying network upgrades that support upload speeds of at least 75Mbps(Opens in a new window)–with these faster uplinks initially reserved for subscribers paying for its “xFi Complete” add-on(Opens in a new window)–the median uploads listed for three of seven plans in a network-management disclosure dating to last May(Opens in a new window) still fall well short of 20Mbps. 

Would-be subscribers to Comcast have to check that document to see the minimum uploads they should expect, because the nation’s largest broadband provider still doesn’t list that detail next to download speeds on its sign-up pages. 

The FCC’s pending broadband-label regulation would require ISPs to put upload speeds and other key points in