The FCC Broadband Report You Didn't Hear About

If you follow broadband policy, you probably know that the Federal Communications Commission recently released its annual Broadband Progress Report (often referred to as the Section 706 Report) in which it concludes (erroneously) that broadband is not being deployed in a reasonable and timely manner. But did you hear about the other broadband report issued by the FCC during the week of Jan 25, the one demonstrating how deployment and performance of broadband in the United States is far outpacing European broadband? Didn’t think so.

Given all the negative commentary from the FCC majority on the state of deployment in the US, you could be forgiven for thinking that the US would not fare well in the international comparison. But in fact the FCC’s international report demonstrates that American broadband performance is well ahead of our friends in Europe. Based on the comparison to European broadband, the FCC’s conclusion that deployment in the US is not reasonable and timely is hard to fathom. It does not seem too much to ask that the FCC take its own factual findings seriously rather than continuing to perpetuate the fiction that American broadband is languishing.