U.S. households would face a $30 monthly Universal Service Fund fee...
U.S. households would face a $30 monthly Universal Service Fund fee if the FCC were to require 100 Mbps for everyone through USF, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said. In a letter Oct. 13 to Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., released last…
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week, Genachowski defended the National Broadband Plan recommendation of 4 Mbps nationwide through USF. The plan also set a goal of 100 Mbps for 100 million homes by 2020. Chambliss and other rural legislators have said that recommendation favors urban areas and relegates their rural constituents to second-class broadband. Genachowski said 4 Mbps “is very aggressive and represents one of the highest levels in the world today for universalization,” while 100 Mbps “is based on a long-range goal.” Users can e-mail, browse the Web, have two-way video calls and watch standard-definition video with 4 Mbps, he said. “The target speed also is ‘reasonably comparable’ to the broadband service currently provided in urban areas,” as defined by Section 254 of the Communications Act, he said.