FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel Responds to Lawmakers Regarding Recent GAO Report

On April 25, 2023, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report entitled “Broadband Speed: FCC Should Improve its Communication of Advanced Telecommunications Capability Assessments.” The report examines the extent to which the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has communicated how it reviews its minimum fixed-broadband speed benchmark, and how it determines whether to update the benchmark, and the extent to which the minimum speed requirements of selected federal and state broadband programs differ from the FCC’s benchmark, and stakeholders’ views on any implications of these differences. The GAO recommends that the FCC Chair “should provide consistent communication in [the FCC’s] reporting of how it determines whether advanced telecommunications capability is being deployed and when updating the related metrics it uses to assess broadband speeds and deployment.” The FCC agrees that transparency and consistency are important principles to follow as we determine whether advanced telecommunications capability is being deployed in a reasonable and timely fashion to all Americans. In response to GAO’s recommendation, on July 19, 2023, I shared a revised draft Section 706 Report Notice of Inquiry which seeks comment on ways the FCC can provide consistent and transparent communications to the public about how it reviews, and determines whether to update, the advanced telecommunications capability evaluation metrics required by Section 706.