By Tom Wheeler, Brookings, June 21, 2021
ne of the lessons of COVID-19 was the need for speed in digital broadband connections. As more and more members of a household were online simultaneously doing schoolwork or working from home, the need for bandwidth increased. An August 2020 survey found that almost a quarter of broadband households planned to upgrade to higher speeds. It is for these, and many other reasons, that the broadband infrastructure program being considered by Congress must prioritize spending public funds for high-speed service, not simply good-enough service.
At a time when commercial broadband companies are investing private money in upgrading their networks to mega-high-speed broadband deployment, it is foolhardy for the government to spend public money for second class service. At a time when the nation is finally moving beyond talking about the digital divide to actually doing something about the problem, it is illogical to spend the taxpayers’ dollars for something that will only open the possibility of a “not good enough divide” as demand continues to rise.
Currently, an intense lobbying campaign is being conducted, especially by wireless and satellite network providers, to define digital down so that they may be able to sup at the federal funding trough. These companies want federal funds for their for-profit services, even if the services are slower in speed than what the market has demonstrated is necessary for broadband. A recent private report by J.P. Morgan found that 74 percent of Americans with access to broadband pay for speeds of at least 100 Mbps. By 2025, the report forecasts, that number will grow to 90 percent. If at least 100 Mbps is what the market is demanding, why would the federal government spend billions to build less than that in unserved areas? If almost a quarter of consumers are asking their providers for faster service, why should the government support something slow?
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