Democrats Frustrated with Biden Inaction on FCC, Comcast Gets 10 Gbps, Louisiana Wants Widespread Broadband
Democrats frustrated with Biden’s delay on FCC, Comcast tests 10 Gbps speed, Louisiana wants 75% more broadband in six years.
Justin Perkins
October 14, 2021 – Democrats in Congress have grown increasingly frustrated at President Biden’s slow pace in naming a permanent commissioner to serve on the Federal Communications Commission, according to a report from Politico.
Nearly ten months after President Biden’s January inauguration, congressional Democrats worry that the president’s progressive telecommunications agenda is at risk, the report said.
Senator Ben Ray Luján, D-New Mexico, chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Media and Broadband, told Politico that “there’s no good excuse” for Biden’s delay in nominating an FCC chair. Luján added that he is “absolutely fearful that what the administration is setting up is a 2-1 Republican majority FCC under a Democratic administration. That is unacceptable.”
Pressure on Biden to nominate an FCC chair arrives as Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel gains support from members of Congress and stakeholders.
Earlier this month, former FCC commissioner Michael O’Rielly said he is “perplexed” by Biden’s inaction to formalize Rosenworcel as chair. Seventeen education groups wrote a letter to Biden in September urging him to make her the permanent chair, while over two dozen senators signed their own letter asking for the same. Senators Elizabeth warren and Bernie Sanders did not sign onto the letter, signaling a possible disconnect amongst Democrats about who is the best person for the job.
Politico reports that, for comparison, former President Donald Trump named Ajit Pai as FCC chair only three days after being sworn in. No previous president has taken this long to name an FCC chair, the story said. Biden’s delay is alarming to Congressional Democrats who have been eager to confirm Biden’s nominees for the position.
Comcast says it has achieved 10 Gbps internet speed in test
Comcast said it has achieved internet speeds of 10 Gigabits per second on a test using new DOCSIS 4.0 technology.
A Thursday press release claimed it is the world’s first test of a “10G” connection, 10 times faster than the gigabit internet speeds that in many areas are the fastest speeds money can buy. Such speeds using the latest DOCSIS 4.0 technology was already predicted.
The cable company conducted the test at the Virtual SCTE Cable-Tec Expo from its network to a modem. The promise, according to Comcast, is that because the process is virtualized, it will be able to deliver these speeds to existing connections already in homes.
Louisiana to boost broadband by 75% in six years using FCC funds: report
Louisiana will use $342 million it received from the Federal Communications Commission to close 75 percent of the state’s broadband access problems in six years, according to a report from the Louisiana Illuminator.
“[W]e have to work with a sense of urgency” said Veneeth Iyengar, executive director of the Broadband Development and Connectivity Office.
Iyengar said he believes the state’s estimate that 500,000 households do not have broadband access is a “lowball estimate.” However, Iyengar struck an optimistic tone when discussing the possibilities for the funding.
The FCC granted Louisiana the $342 million last year. The office’s goal is to serve 100 percent of Louisiana households with broadband access by 2029.
Republican congressman Luke Letlow from Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District told the Louisiana Illuminator that he does not have high speed internet at his home in Start. Letlow compared broadband infrastructure to our physical roads and bridges. “There’s no difference, in my mind, in putting investments in the information superhighway,” Letlow said.
