Ajit Pai uses bad data to claim ISPs are deploying broadband to everyone

Enlarge / FCC Chairman Ajit Pai speaking at a press conference on October 1, 2018, in Washington, DC. (credit: Getty Images | Mark Wilson )

The Federal Communications Commission on Friday issued its annual broadband deployment report, finding for the third straight year that broadband is "being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion."

The FCC is required to report on broadband progress annually under Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Pai's Republican majority pointed to the FCC's deployment data to argue that broadband networks are expanding fast enough to serve all Americans, despite the three biggest ISPs—Comcast, AT&T, and Charter—lowering capital expenditures.

Pai's conclusion is based on ISPs' filings to the FCC, which are known to overcount the number of Americans who have broadband access. The FCC report also failed to consider whether data caps and broadband prices are impeding progress toward universal broadband access.

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