Complete Story
08/15/2017
FCC Looks Afresh at Reasonable Broadband Deployment
The FCC is seeking input on its annual assessment of whether advanced telecommunications is being deployed to all Americans on a reasonable and timely basis and the new FCC management is asking some questions.
If the FCC finds that is not the case, as has been the finding under recent Democratic chairs, the commission is empowered to regulate to make it so.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has been critical of those previous conclusions, based on the fact that high-speed broadband deployment is not yet available to 100% of the country.
The new inquiry will focus on whether the progress toward universal access has been reasonable and timely. In the just-released so-called "Sec. 706" inquiry, the FCC says it will start afresh. The FCC released the 2016 Notice of Inquiry Aug. 4, 2016, but never issued a report on the findings.
"In light of the changes in the industry and our recent actions to encourage broadband deployment, we propose to start this Inquiry afresh, with updated data and questions focused on the current progress of deployment of advanced telecommunications capability," the FCC said.
Democrat Mignon Clyburn had some issues and only concurred in the inquiry, which is short of an endorsement, but also short of an opposition.
