Minimum broadband speeds too low, government watchdog says

Since 2015, the Federal Communications Commission has maintained that the minimum broadband speed should remain the same: 25 megabits per second for downloading files and 3 megabits per second for downloading.

Now, a government watchdog is asking the FCC to reassess those rules in a new report, saying small businesses in 2021 will need more bandwidth to run their operations efficiently. The report, produced by the Government Accountability Office, also shows examples of small businesses across the country not achieving even the minimum speed required by the FCC.

This isn’t the first time the FCC has faced heat above its broadband minimums. Earlier this year, a group of senators called on the agency to increase the lower limit to 100 Mbps for upload and download speed.

The FCC basically admitted that it has very little reliable data on whether people are getting mandatory minimum speeds or not having access to them at all. Its broadband coverage maps are based on self-reported data by Internet service providers, who are encouraged to overestimate their coverage in order to evade regulation. He tried to create speed test apps to get more direct information and collected complaints directly from consumers.

Anonymized data visualized by The edge paints a much darker picture than the FCC has admitted, with many counties reporting less than 10% broadband availability at minimum speeds.

But the GAO maintains that there is enough evidence to reconsider these rules. Reports from small businesses show that many want a minimum download speed of 100 Mbps and up to 1 gigabyte per second for offices with dozens of employees. Even Zoom recommends a download speed of at least 3.8 Mbps for making high-definition video calls, which is above the federal minimum.

Business owners also told GAO that while they could access broadband, it’s expensive and unreliable. A Vermont inn and spa owner said he was paying $ 78 per month for speeds below 10 Mbps, and an upgrade to 40 Mbps would cost $ 335 per month, which is prohibitive. Others said they had to rely on expensive satellite internet services to have reliable internet access.

Increasing this minimum benchmark to 100 Mbps down / 10 Mbps up would have long-term effects for people in rural communities who suffer most from these Internet deserts, writes GAO. The change would reduce the percentage of rural Americans who are considered to have acceptable broadband coverage from 83% to 67%, a strong argument that providers need to invest more in rural infrastructure.