Do We Need Symmetrical Upload and Download Speeds?

Calls for symmetrical broadband speeds (the same speeds for uploads as downloads) have circulated in telecom policy circles for over a decade. Early support for broadband symmetry was largely ideological in nature, based on the belief that individuals could play a bigger role in generating content, and symmetry was necessary to put production on equal footing with consumption of content. Recent efforts to promote symmetrical networks, however, appear aimed at shaping a potential infrastructure subsidy program. Establishing an expectation of symmetry would set an unreasonably high bar for subsidies, meaning areas of the country with more than adequate broadband today would be eligible for subsidized overbuilding tomorrow.