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FCC Admits Mistakes In Measuring Broadband Competition

Posted by Zonk on from the admitting-there-is-a-problem-is-the-first-step dept.

techdirtfeed writes "For years, plenty of folks (including the Government Accountability Office) have been pointing out that the way the FCC measures broadband competition is very flawed. It simply assumes that if a single household in a zip code is offered broadband by provider A, then every household in that zip code can get broadband from provider A. See the problem? For some reason the FCC still hasn't changed its ways, but at least they're starting to realize the problem. They're now saying they need to change the way they measure competition. Commissioner Michael Copps points out: 'Our statistical methodology seems almost calculated to obscure just how far our country is falling behind many other industrialized nations in broadband availability, adoption, speed and price.'"

3 of 130 comments (clear)

  1. Mobile Broadband by Tofystedeth · · Score: 5, Insightful
    from TFA

    mobile broadband is only allowed for very limited applications (no video, no streaming, no downloads, no VoIP, etc.) What else does that leave? Http? I mean, when you get rid of all the stuff in that statementm, and account for a few more with the '.etc', there isn't much else you can do. I suppose maybe telnet? That is of course ignoring the fact that simply saying "no downloads" completely eliminates most everything.
    --
    "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Drink deeply or not at all."
  2. Isn't the Zip code unusually large by grahamsz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    In my parents postal code (in scotland) there are 11 homes, the exchange is less than a thousand feet from any of them so they all qualify for roughly the same speed of DSL.

    My zip code in colorado probably has several thousand homes. I have three broadband options (DSL, Cable, Wireless) but I wouldn't be surprised to know there were people in my zip who couldn't get any.

    If the FCC switched to using ZIP+4 then it would probably be a much more accurate and comparable method.

  3. USA 3rd tier country - baby bells, RIAA, MPAA by harvey+the+nerd · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I blame RIAA, it members, MPAA, Disney as much for the collapse of WorldCom (all that *dark* fiber) and the re-emergence of the "baby" Bells and the other roads hogs. Some baby Bells, etc made state level agreements ~10 years ago that should have put them more on track for capacity and last mile if they had not reneged on the provisions of such agreements.
    Yes, like Clinton, the third George's reign has helped make the world, er, country safe for our brand of state capitalism.