My Perspectives from FSF Scholars paper, "Resurgence in Broadband Deployment Vindicates FCC's Pro-Investment Policies," focused on data cited in the FCC's 2019 Section 706 report and the Commission's policy focus on closing the digital divide. To that end, encouraging broadband deployment progress in un-served and underserved rural areas is particularly important. In "Mobile Experience in Rural USA– An Operator Comparison," Opensignal's Francesco Rizzato assesses rural broadband availability by mobile broadband provider and according to different geographic and performance metrics. The March-to-June 2019 data cited in this Opensignal report provides another indicator that 4G mobile broadband (including service with 10 mbps/3 mbps speeds) is continuing to be reasonably and timely deployed to all Americans.
For more, check out Opensignal's report.
The Commission can continue to encourage investment in broadband infrastructure to rural areas by following through on policy initiatives identified in that Perspectivespaper. Additionally, the Commission ought to clarify the law regarding collocations and modifications to existing cell sites. For more on that, see my Perspectives paper, published today, titled "FCC Should Clear Legal Obstacles to Wireless Infrastructure Upgrades."
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