The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said separate analyses of the progress of mobile and fixed internet deployments must be maintained because of clear differences between the technologies.

In a draft of an annual report into internet access and coverage, the FCC said mobile broadband cannot fully substitute for fixed internet access due to differences including consumer preferences and demand. Thus, the FCC said separate assessments of each are necessary to provide a holistic snapshot of the market.

Broadband advocates had been concerned the FCC might combine fixed and mobile in this year’s report, which could have counted areas with access to LTE but slow, or no, fixed service as having adequate coverage.

A fact sheet about the draft version of the 2018 Broadband Deployment Report also highlighted the commission’s decision to maintain speed benchmarks of 25Mb/s for downloads and 3Mb/s for uploads as an “appropriate measure by which to assess whether a fixed service provides advanced telecommunications capability”. The commission previously mooted whether those figures should revert to 10Mb/s and 1Mb/s, respectively.

Commissioners clash
Though the full report is yet to be made public, FCC chairman Ajit Pai claimed it shows “the pace of both fixed and mobile broadband deployment declined dramatically” following the implementation of stricter Title II regulation in 2015. Pai added while the FCC is now taking steps to encourage deployments, “our work has just begun”.

“Far too many Americans still lack access to high-speed internet, and that’s why the FCC’s top priority under my leadership remains bridging the digital divide and bringing digital opportunity to all Americans.”

In a statement, commissioner Mignon Clyburn praised the decision to count mobile and fixed separately but took issue with Pai’s “tired and debunked” assertion Title II regulation stifled investment. Clyburn also blasted a conclusion broadband is being deployed in a “reasonable and timely fashion”, noting a finding in the draft report stating that more than 24 million citizens still lack access to high-speed broadband where they live.