Cable industry tells FCC to keep broadband definition as is
September 3, 2009
In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) recommended that the commission should use the existing definition of broadband, which is a much slower connection than advocacy groups are seeking.
NCTA said it agrees with the FCC that establishing a single definition of the term broadband is a crucial issue for the development of the National Broadband Plan, but noted that the FCC "should not use the process of defining 'broadband' as a vehicle for imposing substantive obligations on providers of broadband services," according to the filing.
Consumer advocacy organizations such as Free Press have urged the FCC to raise the bar for internet speeds in defining broadband. Derek Turner, research director of Free Press, said a definition of broadband should be set to match what users can actually do with their connections.
Free Press said broadband should be defined at speeds of 5 Mbps for downloads and uploads, to allow users to access and share high-quality video content. A definition should also be rooted in actual delivered speeds, not what the broadband providers advertise, the group said.
NCTA said the FCC should "continue to look at maximum advertised speed rather than some measure of 'actual' speed," in its filing.
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