Civil Rights Groups, Others Say 706 ATC Requires Both Fixed and Mobile Broadband Access
Civil rights groups and others urged the FCC to affirm that advanced telecom capability "means access to both fixed and mobile broadband service" under a Telecom Act Section 706 mandate to ensure ATC is deployed to all Americans in a…
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reasonable and timely way. "These services are complementary, not substitutes," and the FCC should evaluate both by its 25/3 Mbps definition for fixed ATC service, said a filing posted Monday in docket 17-199 by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, American Civil Liberties Union, AFL-CIO, Common Cause, Communications Workers of America, NAACP and six other groups . "Even if the Commission considers 'deployment' to refer only to infrastructure, evidence does not support reversal [of the 25/3 Mbps benchmark]. At least six studies issued in the last year and a half find that many of the lowest income neighborhoods in the United States lack fiber-optic network access." They said the FCC "should take action to adopt subsidies, support tax policies and digital inclusion programs, and bolster robust broadband Lifeline service." A notice of inquiry proposed to keep the 25/3 Mbps fixed-service benchmark while asking about other possible benchmarks, including whether 10/1 Mbps mobile service could provide adequate ATC. That drew objections from some, including Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel (see 1709200042).