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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.
"Joe Blow is paying a pretty good chunk of taxes for this report."
You're using the status quo as supporting evidence in your counterargument, when I am arguing against the status quo. Joe Blow should not be paying taxes for this report.
"But once they do compile it, it rightfully belongs to the people."
Let's follow the logic. The government demands people give up money. People give into those demands (some willingly, others not). They use the money to demand companies give up information. The companies give into the demand and give up the information. So the information rightfully belongs to the people?
No, it rightfully belongs to the companies. The government should give back that information to the respective companies (and destroy its own records), compensate those companies for the work load that was incurred to give into the government's demands, and compensate the public for forcibly taking away a portion of their income.
Modded troll? I thought that was only for people who stated opinions they didn't actually believe in order to rile people up. I back what I am saying 100%.
Maybe it's just accepted practice to mod people down who you are too mentally incompetent to refute.