IIA Urges FCC to Decide Mobile Is 'Functional' Substitute for Fixed in Section 706 Report
The Internet Innovation Alliance urged the FCC to conclude mobile broadband is a fully “functional” substitute for fixed broadband in its next report under a Telecom Act Section 706 mandate. Commissioners voted 3-2 in February to keep a 25/3 Mbps…
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fixed benchmark and concluded mobile isn't a full substitute (see 1802050002). IIA cited a CivicScience survey it commissioned that nearly equal numbers of U.S. consumers preferred mobile broadband to fixed broadband for accessing the internet, and 26 percent favored fixed wireless to 23 percent mobile. Twenty percent had no preference, while 14 percent preferred fiber. Seven percent preferred DSL, 4 percent liked other services, 3 percent cited satellite broadband, and 3 percent prefer dial-up service. CivicScience surveyed at least 10,000 U.S. consumers in June. The results should indicate to the FCC it should “take a fresh look to update, modernize, and acknowledge the essential equivalence of mobile broadband access to fixed access in its approach” to the Section 706 reports, IIA said Tuesday.