Pennsylvania Paints Grimmer Picture of Rural Broadband Than FCC
HARRISBURG -- A state broadband report shows wide discrepancies between FCC broadband availability estimates and reality, said lawmakers Monday at the capitol. The Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a bipartisan legislative agency, unanimously approved the report by Pennsylvania State University researchers, at Monday's meeting. FCC estimates about 800,000 Pennsylvanians are without broadband “are downplaying the true state of the digital divide because they rely on self-reported data” by ISPs, the report said. “It appears that official broadband maps are becoming less accurate over time -- particularly those for rural areas.”
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State findings disagree with the FCC broadband map, based on Form 477 data, that shows 100 percent availability of 25 Mbps download speeds statewide. Penn State researchers collected more than 11 million broadband speed tests across the state in 2018 and found median speeds in most areas don’t meet the FCC definition of broadband. In no county does at least 50 percent of the population receive broadband by the agency’s definition, the study said.
“We share the goal of connecting all Americans to modern broadband services, and are working hard to reach it," an FCC spokesperson emailed. "However, broadband availability and broadband adoption are not the same thing. Consumers may subscribe to service speeds slower than 25/3 Mbps even when faster service is available, and software-based tests may not account for slow Wi-Fi connections and other issues not related to network speeds. That’s why the FCC’s Measuring Broadband America report collects data for each of a provider’s service tiers through hardware attached directly to the broadband line. That report concludes that for most major broadband providers, measured broadband speeds were 100% or better than advertised speeds during peak hours."
“Noting a historical lack of investment in this critical infrastructure asset, today’s report helps by identifying the gaps in broadband access throughout Pennsylvania but falls short of identifying ways to fund increased access,” Gov. Tom Wolf (D) said. Wolf said he’ll respond by proposing broadband access projects in his infrastructure plan.
State government should do something, the document’s author, Penn State Palmer Chair in Telecommunications Sascha Meinrath, told the board. “Inaction in itself is causing the harm.” Official federal broadband maps are “aspirational” and “increasingly hyperbolic,” keeping areas that need funding from being eligible for federal support, he said.
Differences between actual and ISP-reported speeds are larger in rural areas, Meinrath told the board. The difference has stayed about the same for urban areas in the past five years, but the divide widened in rural areas, he said. One problem with federal estimates is that ISPs are counting as “served” areas that don’t have broadband but where providers could provide it without an extraordinary commitment of resources, Meinrath said.
It's concerning because there's “no way" the state can afford broadband expansion without federal dollars, commented Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, a Democratic board member. The center’s chairman, Sen. Gene Yaw (R), said he’s interested to hear how the feds respond to Pennsylvania's flagging problems with national data: “A lot of decisions that are supposedly based on that are probably erroneous.”
The FCC says rural Pennsylvania has broadband, but its data isn’t totally accurate for identifying underserved areas, said the center’s vice chairman, Rep. Garth Everett (R), at a later news conference. “We’re not good at broadband.” The study is “going to open a lot of people’s eyes about the problems that we have,” Yaw said. “We have a lot of work to do,” probably with a high price tag, he said. Yaw didn’t say how the legislature would respond, commenting only that the report will inform lawmakers.
“We don’t see” the digital divide narrowing as the FCC claimed last week (see 1905290017), Pashinski said in an interview. Wolf’s plan would be a “tremendous start,” especially if the state can combine that funding with federal support, the legislator said: Bidding should be competitive and Pennsylvania providers “should be given every consideration in determining who gets what contract.”
“It would be crazy to wait” for a federal infrastructure package, Meinrath told us. Pennsylvania’s GOP-controlled legislature shouldn’t be an obstacle, considering many Republicans who helped elect President Donald Trump are from the rural areas that are least served, he said. Lawmakers should consider policies to spur alternative broadband providers including municipalities and electric cooperatives, but rural areas won’t be helped by 5G “vaporware” that requires fiber and many cellsites, he said. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission could pitch in by tapping its consumer protection authority to consider pricing and availability issues, much like the utility regulator does for energy, Meinrath said. PUC members didn't comment.
The Pennsylvania report is a “living document” that will be updated, said the Center’s Director Barry Denk.