FCC Formally Rescinds Gigabit Speed Goal for Federal Broadband Funding Programs

In a major policy shift, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has voted to abolish the federal 1 Gigabit-per-second (Gbps) speed goal previously required for projects receiving federal broadband infrastructure subsidies.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr defended the decision, arguing that rigid gigabit speed requirements favored fiber-optic deployments over lower-cost satellite and fixed wireless technologies, thereby violating federal mandates for technological neutrality.

Public interest organizations and municipal broadband advocates strongly criticized the repeal, warning that diverting public funds toward slower, high-latency satellite networks will leave rural communities stranded with inadequate internet connectivity for decades.