Media Contact:
Mark Wigfield, (202) 418-0253
mark.wigfield@fcc.gov
For Immediate Release

CHAIRMAN PAI STATEMENT ON DRAFT
2018 BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT REPORT
-WASHINGTON, January 18, 2018—Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai
today shared with his fellow commissioners the draft 2018 Broadband Deployment Report.
Following circulation of the draft report, Chairman Pai issued the following statement:
“In Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Congress tasked the Commission
with encouraging the deployment of broadband on a reasonable and timely basis and issuing an
annual report on our progress. Today, I was pleased to provide my colleagues with a draft
report that would carry out this statutory responsibility.
“The draft report maintains the same benchmark speed for fixed broadband service previously
adopted by the Commission: 25 Mbps download/3 Mbps upload. The draft report also
concludes that mobile broadband service is not a full substitute for fixed service. Instead, it
notes there are differences between the two technologies, including clear variations in
consumer preferences and demands. As a result, the draft report evaluates progress in
deploying fixed broadband service as well as progress in deploying mobile broadband service
and takes a holistic approach to evaluating the deployment of these services.
“The draft report indicates that the pace of both fixed and mobile broadband deployment
declined dramatically in the two years following the prior Commission’s Title II Order.
However, the draft report also discussed how, over the course of the past year, the current
Commission has taken steps to reduce barriers to infrastructure investment and promote
competition in the broadband marketplace. Taken together, these policies indicate that the
current FCC is now meeting its statutory mandate to encourage the deployment of broadband
on a reasonable and timely basis.
“But while we are now headed in the right direction, our work has just begun. Far too many
Americans still lack access to high-speed Internet, and that’s why the FCC’s top priority under
my leadership remains bridging the digital divide and bringing digital opportunity to all
Americans.”

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Office of Chairman Ajit Pai: (202) 418-2000
Twitter: @AjitPaiFCC
www.fcc.gov/leadership/ajit-pai

 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order
constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).