美国联邦通信委员会（FCC）正计划调整其在宽带部署方面的政策，新提案将削弱对宽带可负担性的关注，并降低长期部署目标。此举可能使得FCC更容易在进度报告中给予宽带业务“合格”评级。FCC主席提议不再关注“无关的普遍服务标准”，例如用户是否负担得起网络服务。此外，FCC还计划取消前任政府设定的1000Mbps下载和500Mbps上传的宽带速度目标，而此前“宽带”的标准仅为25Mbps/2Mbps。此项政策调整可能降低互联网服务提供商（ISP）在扩大高性价比宽带接入方面的动力，尤其是在宽带接入不佳的地区。

💡 FCC拟调整宽带部署政策，将削弱对宽带可负担性的关注。新提案旨在让FCC在定期进度报告中更容易地为宽带业务提供合格评级，这意味着对ISP的监管要求可能放松。

🚀 FCC主席提议取消“无关的普遍服务标准”，明确指出不再将用户是否负担得起网络服务纳入考量范围。此举可能导致在价格敏感地区，高性价比宽带的普及受到影响。

📈 FCC计划放弃前任政府制定的1000Mbps下载/500Mbps上传的长期宽带速度目标。这与当前100Mbps/20Mbps的标准相比，目标大幅降低，可能影响未来高速宽带的普及力度。

📉 政策调整可能削弱ISP扩大高性价比宽带接入的动力。当ISP无需过多担忧部署成本和可负担性，且更容易获得监管机构的认可时，可能缺乏持续改进服务和降低价格的内在激励。

The Federal Communications Commission is changing how it approaches broadband deployment under Donald Trump's second administration.

A new proposal from FCC chairman Brendan Carr would lessen the federal agency's focus on broadband affordability and lower the ceiling on its long-term ambitions for broadband deployment, per Ars Technica. The proposal, which goes to a vote in early August, would ultimately make it easier for the FCC to provide passing grades to the broadband business during its regular progress reports.

Federal law requires the FCC to figure out whether or not fast internet is being offered to Americans "on a reasonable and timely basis" and to fix the situation if the answer is no. Carr wants to change things so that the FCC no longer worries about "extraneous universal service criteria," such as whether or not people can actually afford the internet service that's being offered to them.

Similarly troubling for those who advocate for better internet for more people is that the FCC wants to eliminate a long-term goal set during the previous administration for broadband internet to meet a standard of 1,000Mbps download speeds and 500Mbps upload speeds. For years, the standard for what counted as "broadband" according to the FCC was a meager 25Mbps/2Mbps, which are speeds that won't get you very far these days. As of 2024, the standard is 100Mbps/20Mbps, which are far more in line with normal, usable internet speeds, but certainly not as fast as the 1 gigabit goal set during Joe Biden's time in office.

It's not hard to see how this manner of deregulation will affect customers around the U.S., especially in areas with poor broadband access. If ISPs don't have to worry as much about deployment and affordability as they used to, and they can get passing grades on the annual report card more easily than before, then there aren't as many incentives to increase affordable access to high-speed internet.