EchoStar Pushes Coverage Over Speed in Broadband Definition Comments

Satellite television operator EchoStar is telling the Federal Communications Commission that the Commission should not define broadband by speeds high enough to exclude satellite broadband, which can be deployed more rapidly to rural and other hard-to reach places. The company also said it has applied for stimulus money to launch a satellite broadband service that could make that a reality. EchoStar said the definition should be "at least" 768 kbps downstream and 200 kbps upstream, far lower than some commenters have suggested, but enough for satellite operators to handle. That is the same threshold adopted by NTIA and the Agriculture Department's Rural Utility Service for its broadband stimulus/grant money, the company points out.