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FCC's Broadband Benchmark Analyses Inconsistent, GAO Says

The FCC has been inconsistent in the scope of its analysis of broadband's benchmark speed and its rationale for updating or not updating that benchmark, GAO said Tuesday. "Without consistently communicating" the scope and rationale, "FCC's reporting lacks transparency," the…

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agency said. More consistent reporting year to year "would provide stakeholders' better assurance that FCC's conclusions are not arbitrary," it said. Citing six reports issued between 2015 and 2021, GAO said five of the six reported on whether the 25/3 Mbps benchmark was enough for purposes such as video conferencing, though it didn't report on that in 2019. It said the agency's 2015 report considered future speed needs in its analysis, though no subsequent report did, although the agency had received public comments on the topic. The commission didn't comment Wednesday.