This is a welcome change!
The FCC announced the minimum speed of broadband to be 100 mbps. The attached file is here:
From the note:
“The needs of internet users long ago surpassed the FCC’s 25/3 speed metric, especially during a global health pandemic that moved so much of life online,” said Chairwoman Rosenworcel. “The 25/3 metric isn’t just behind the times, it’s a harmful one because it masks the extent to which low-income neighborhoods and rural communities are being left behind and left offline. That’s why we need to raise the standard for minimum broadband speeds now and while also aiming even higher for the future, because we need to set big goals if we want everyone everywhere to have a fair shot at 21st century success.”
emphasis mine
Kudos for this far-sighted decision (and hopefully resisting the lobbying efforts of telecom companies). For them, this is a capex in dumb pipes, because they cannot monetise this layer of users. I don’t know about the reality around “low-income neighbourhoods”, but the high cost of broadband access (almost everywhere) is due to the monopolies and local municipal laws that hinder “digging up for fibre”.
RadOncNotes 