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FCC Revises Broadband Penetration Metrics

joelt49 writes "Ars Technica reports that the FCC has revised its broadband penetration metric. Previously, if only one subscriber in a zip code received connectivity at 200 Kbps, then the entire zip code was considered to have broadband access. Now, the FCC will count the number of subscribers in census tracts. The FCC has also revised its definition of broadband; previously, it was anything over 200 Kbps. Now, speeds between 200 and 768 Kbps are considered 'First-Generation' broadband, and speeds up to 1.5 Mbps are considered 'Basic' broadband." Unfortunately, the FCC has decided to keep all this new data to themselves.

9 of 149 comments (clear)

  1. no! by EmbeddedJanitor · · Score: 2, Funny

    The F in FCC stands for fsck!

    --
    Engineering is the art of compromise.
  2. Re:How can they keep this secret? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    If you had to change your penetration metrics, would you advertise it? What if the change in metrics show that you cannot penetrate as far, or for as long as you used to? What if they show that you don't penetrate as much as your European or, worse, Asian counterparts?

    No, this is very much justified.

  3. Re:How can they keep this secret? by eln · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm not sure what you're trying to say here, but I think they have pills you can take for that now.

  4. STOP by Rezonant · · Score: 5, Funny
    PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT SOME OF US ARE STILL ON TLGRPH STOP YOU INSENSITIVE CLODS STOP

    (yeah yeah. lameness filter. yeah yeah.) Some more antilameness filter. And some more. There is also the issue of the antilameness filter. It really sucks.

  5. Re:How can they keep this secret? by value_added · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yeah, can you imagine the nightmarish Orwelian scenario where citizens wouldn't know how the FCC classified their broadband access in their area?

    It's entirely possible that knowing the classification may not help, any more than "Sucks" can be considered an improvement over "Really Sucks", or even "Holy Batman This Really Sucks!".

  6. A few good points. by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 4, Funny
    Slashdot: I want the data.

    FCC: You can't handle the data

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
  7. Insightful? by scipiodog · · Score: 2, Funny

    +5 Insightful? I actually thought that OP was going for the "Funny" mod. Especially the first line:

    Once the Obama administration comes in and sets the white house in order

    That part had me in stitches...

    --
    http://clightnirish.wordpress.com/
  8. Re:How can they keep this secret? by aero6dof · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Because the government is the people. Joe Blow did find this information - he paid the government to do it."

    And what about Jane Blow who does not want to pay the government to find out that information? What choice does she have?


    One has the same choices as anyone else - talk to your representatives. Beyond that, you also have the opportunity to work within the political system to elect a representative who more closely matches your values.

    Or, you could fall in with the fringe tax protestor crowd that wants so badly to believe that they don't actually have to pay taxes - maybe you could ask Wesley Snipes how that's going...

  9. Re:How can they keep this secret? by glittalogik · · Score: 2, Funny

    Don't stress, your penetration metrics might still be enough for old people in Korea.