On July 21, Ars Technica reported a major shift in how the FCC evaluates broadband in the U.S. The proposal would eliminate long-term gigabit speed goals and remove affordability as a factor in broadband progress reports. If adopted, this change could have serious consequences, especially for low-income communities already struggling to get online.
At Software for Progress Foundation, we believe internet access isn’t a luxury. It’s infrastructure. It’s education. It’s healthcare. It’s job access. Removing affordability and speed goals from national broadband benchmarks doesn’t just lower the bar, it risks leaving behind the very communities who need support the most.
What’s Changing
The FCC’s proposal would:
- Eliminate the 1Gbps/500Mbps long-term speed goal
- No longer track affordability or adoption metrics
- Focus only on whether broadband “is being deployed,” not whether it’s reaching households
- Consider reducing broadband-related regulations
On paper, this might sound like streamlining. But in practice, a family in a rural or low-income neighborhood with no affordable options and no high-speed infrastructure could still count as “covered” in federal reports. That makes it harder to justify grants, investments, and future progress.
Why This Matters
Low-income communities face the harshest digital divides and the greatest consequences:
- Job seekers without internet access are shut out of applications and training
- Students without reliable broadband fall behind in school
- Families without affordable plans rely on mobile hotspots and capped data, or go without entirely
Without affordability as a metric, access may be measured in name only — not in lived reality.
Equity Requires Standards
At Software for Progress Foundation, we support Open Source tools that help ensure equity in digital access. But software can’t fix systemic gaps if the infrastructure itself is overlooked in national reporting.
Affordability, speed, and adoption aren’t “extras.” They are the difference between inclusion and exclusion.
What We Can Do
As a community, we can:
- Submit public comments to the FCC before August 7 and share how this rollback could impact your community
- Support digital equity work: From broadband mapping to local mesh networks, many grassroots and Open Source projects are making an impact
- Raise awareness: Share articles, speak up, and help others understand how measurement standards affect digital equity
Conclusion
Access to the internet should be fast, fair, and affordable, for everyone. We’ll continue to highlight how technology and policy intersect and how communities can respond.