FCC Gets Conflicting Advice on Whether to Keep Fixed, Mobile Distinctions in 706 Inquiry

inquiry (see 1808100040). "By looking separately at fixed and mobile broadband, the Commission’s approach lacks technological neutrality, thus perpetuating the outdated, siloed version of the communications industry that has bedeviled the Commission’s work in recent decades," said the R Street Institute. The group said the agency should evaluate broadband deployment by "looking only at the objective metrics of consumers’ broadband service -- such as throughput, latency, price and data caps -- rather than at the technologies used to deliver such service." The Internet Innovation Alliance said fixed and mobile distinctions "no longer matter to U.S. consumers," who are "willing to switch to mobile-only Internet access." The Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable was among those seeking to maintain fixed and mobile distinctions. "The Commission should continue to conclude that mobile services are not full substitutes for fixed services," it said. "Consumers and businesses rely on both fixed and mobile broadband services, often using both in distinct ways." The Free State Foundation backed "continued use of the 25 Mbps upload/3 Mbps download speeds for defining fixed broadband services and for using LTE coverage with minimum speeds of 5 Mbps upload/1 Mbps download for defining mobile broadband services." It said the "available data supports another affirmative deployment determination in the Commission’s upcoming report."