FCC to propose a minimum 100mbps to qualify as broadband, future goal of 1gbps [pdf]

Re:FCC to propose a minimum 100mbps to qualify as broadband,... by wing-_-nuts on Wednesday November 01, 2023 @04:21PM (#38104488)

I find that reasoning suspicious. Ever notice how most of the muni and coop internet providers offer a symmetrical speed while att and comcast don't? My bet is that there's no real technical limitation, it's simply price segmentation.

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Re:FCC to propose a minimum 100mbps to qualify as broadband,... by paxys on Wednesday November 01, 2023 @04:25PM (#38104574)

Fiber is symmetric, coax is not. This isn't some grand conspiracy, just how the underlying engineering works.

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Re:FCC to propose a minimum 100mbps to qualify as broadband,... by orra on Wednesday November 01, 2023 @04:38PM (#38104810)

In the UK, Openreach FTTP is heavily asymmetric. Network operators aren't entirely at the whims of asymmetric standards: network operators want asymmetric services.

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Re:FCC to propose a minimum 100mbps to qualify as broadband,... by wmf on Wednesday November 01, 2023 @04:26PM (#38104586)

There is a technical limitation on cable and DSL networks but not on other techs like fiber or wireless.

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Re:FCC to propose a minimum 100mbps to qualify as broadband,... by vel0city on Wednesday November 01, 2023 @05:08PM (#38105282)

AT&T does offer symmetrical speeds. Most PON-based FTTH ISPs I've encountered do.

There are technical reasons for offering asymmetrical speeds when it comes to coax connections. There's only so many channels on the wire, a lot are still dedicated to television, people mostly only care about download, so they prioritize it. PONs don't carry television and are just fundamentally different in design, so its easier for them to support symmetrical bandwidth.

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