Since 2015, the FCC has defined broadband as reaching a minimum of 25Mbps for downloads and 3Mbps for uploads. But now a bipartisan group of US senators is urging the Biden administration to update the FCC standard to 100Mbps for both downloads and uploads.
On Thursday, four US senators sent a letter to the heads of the FCC, the US Commerce Department, and the Department of Agriculture, which argues that the current federal speed standards are outdated.
“We strongly urge you to update federal broadband program speed requirements to reflect current and anticipated 21st century uses,” wrote the senators—Michael Bennet (D-Colorado), Angus King (I-Maine), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia).
In the letter, the senators say the broadband speed benchmarks across federal agencies need to be at 100Mbps and “symmetrical,” meaning both the speeds for both downloads and uploads should match.
Amazingly, the US Department of Agriculture uses a different benchmark from the FCC to define broadband, requiring speeds to hit a minimum of 10Mbps for downloads and 1Mbps for uploads.
The senators say exceptions on the speed requirements can be granted based on “geography, topography, and unreasonable cost." But it's critical the US do more to expand high-speed internet to underserved areas, and close the digital divide.
“There is no reason federal funding to rural areas should not support the type of speeds used by households in typical well-served urban and suburban areas,” they add, citing Speedtest scores showing average internet speeds in the US hit close to 180Mbps for downloads and 65Mbps for uploads.
Unfortunately, many internet users in rural America have been stuck with internet speeds far slower, at under 11Mbps, which is constraining their ability to work and study over the web.
The FCC didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But the commission’s acting head, Jessica Rosenworcel, previously advocated for the FCC to update the speed benchmarks to 100Mbps back in 2015.
In the meantime, the FCC has been distributing billions in dollars to internet service providers in the US, including Charter Communications and SpaceX, to bring gigabit-broadband speeds in the coming years to residents in rural America.
Disclosure: Speedtest by Ookla is owned by PCMag's parent company, Ziff Davis.