FCC chair proposes raising broadband speed standards

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on Friday proposed raising broadband speed standards in a notice to the rest of the commission. 

Rosenworcel said the current standard, set in 2015, isn’t “just behind the times” it’s also “harmful” by masking the extent to which low-income and rural communities are “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,” she said in the announcement. 

Rosenworcel’s notice proposes increasing the national broadband standard to 100 megabits per second for downloads and 20 megabits per second for uploads. 

The standard, which has not been updated since 2015, is 25 megabits per second for downloads and 3 megabits per second for uploads. 

As Rosenworcel initiates a push to raise the standard, though, she faces a commission split 2-2 by party. President Biden’s nominee to the FCC, Gigi Sohn, has been stalled in Congress, leaving Democrats unable to gain a Democratic majority at the commission.