GAO Questions FCC Broadband Numbers By Mark Rockwell May 10, 2006 [EMAIL PROTECTED] DIRECT
WASHINGTON-Although 30 million American households have adopted broadband services, FCC data that tracks broadband availability in the country "has some weaknesses" and should be augmented, according to a new government study.
A 70-page study released by the General Accounting Office (GAO) early this month says the FCC's data on broadband availability in the United States may be a little misleading. The GAO study says that only 28 percent of Americans had broadband connections last year, which is at odds with the FCC's conclusion that 99 percent of Americans live in areas where they can access at least one broadband provider.
The disparity in availability is due, in part, to the way the commission counts subscribers, the GAO says. The FCC, using ZIP code data, "collects data based on where subscribers are served, not where providers have deployed broadband infrastructure," the study says. "Although it is clear that the deployment of broadband networks is extensive, the data may not provide a highly accurate depiction of local deployment of broadband infrastructures for residential service, especially in rural areas."
The GAO, which doesn't have direct oversight power over the FCC, recommends the FCC develop studies to measure the costs and issues involved with various options that could widen the distribution of broadband service in the United States and report back to Senate and House committees. Currently, both houses of Congress are looking at draft bills that would overhaul the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and hammering out details on issues such as broadband distribution strategies. Industry observers familiar with the efforts say Congress could have a workable bill put together by summer.
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