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Sigh. Big Cable execs dominate FCC panel overseeing Big Cable's broadband upgrades

eldakka

Article:

the FCC announced a plan to redefine what "fast internet" actually means,

I don't have an objection to including 3/4/xG, as long as certain conditions are met (actual numbers used for speed, latency, quota and so on are for illustration only, they may be wildly unrealistic in either too low or high direction):

  • bandwidth - is the end-user speed at peak time, not the supply point source capability, e.g. the ISP can't claim an ADSL2+ is a 24Mbps connection if the end user is only syncing at 7Mbps, nor can the ISP claim a 50Mbps connection is 50Mbps if at peak times ISP network congestion reduces the peak-time speed to 15Mbps.
  • latency -the service must meet a maximum peak-time average latency, and a maximum 24h average latency figures, e.g. the busiest 4 hours of the day must not exceed average latency for that period of 25ms through the ISP's infrastructure (it can't, obviously, control any latency induced between the destination hosts and the edge of its network), with the entire 24h period not exceeding an average of 20ms, with no more than 1% of packets exceeding 50ms.
  • conditions - the connection is capable of unrestricted tethered usage, that is, if it's a phone/tablet it can be used as a WiFi hotspot, or the SIM can be put into a 3/4G router and used for all devices in the network, etc.
  • data allowance - there is a defined minimum quota limit, e.g. 500GBytes/month, or even unlimited is required.
  • availaility -minimum reliability of such a service, including taking into account weather conditions, such that in the area service is provided to it must meet the above criteria 99% of the time, e.g. if it's supplied by wireless, and performance degrades below the minimum criteria during bad weather, but bad weather is common in that area, then it might fail the set % reliability criteria.
  • price -a maximum price is specified that all above minimum criteria must be available for, unbundled from any other service. e.g. $50/month for peak-time end-user 25Mbps premises supplied with 500GB quota.

So as long as it meats all the criteria, there shouldn't be an issue including, for example, wireless services.

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