Federal Communications Commission	"FCC  XX-XXX"


STATEMENT OF
CHAIRWOMAN JESSICA ROSENWORCEL

Re: 	Inquiry Concerning Deployment of Advanced Telecommunications Capability to All Americans in a Reasonable and Timely Fashion, GN Docket No. 22-270, Seventeenth Section 706 Report Notice of Inquiry (October 25, 2023).

The pandemic made crystal clear that access to broadband is no longer just nice-to-have, it is need-to-have for everyone, everywhere.  When so many of us had to readjust to life in lockdown, we turned online for our community, education, work, healthcare, and more.  During this time and even before it, the needs of internet users surpassed the Federal Communications Commission’s standard for broadband of 25 Megabits per second down and 3 Megabits per second up.  This standard is not only outdated, it masks the extent to which low-income neighborhoods and rural communities are being left offline and left behind.  Ultimately, I believe it is essential in the United States to set big goals in order to get big things done.  That is why we are kicking off this inquiry to update our national broadband standard to better align it with the standards in pandemic-era legislation of 100 Megabits per second down and 20 Megabits per second up and also set a long-term goal for gigabit speeds.



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