dabydeen
6213
288
2
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/fcc-abolishes-gigabit-speed-goal-suggesting-it-is-unfair-to-slower-technologies/
Aug 19, 2026 10:43 PM
dabydeen
6213
288
2
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/fcc-abolishes-gigabit-speed-goal-suggesting-it-is-unfair-to-slower-technologies/
madmax17
Bring back coal!
LutraLazuli
Before we know it, we're going to be touting on how fast our 56,000 Baud internet connection is again
drdorman86350
Is this so we won't notice slowdown due to AI greed as much?
WowThatUsernameIsSoOriginal
enshittification as public policy, how maga.
Farreg
This should be an Onion post!
ItsaBeemer
I've got 1Gb here and i didn't even pick the fastest package....WTF usa...
DrkBluePenguin
I live in California and I have 5GB internet. I think the fastest I can upgrade to is 7gb. But isn't the article saying that they are doing this because satellite and cellular internet cant reach those speeds and would be cut from federal grants?
INeverReadTheTOS
Seems pretty anti-competitive.
hotaru251
"“At present, we do not know the nature of future consumer preferences and, considering that the goal is not required by the statute and does not serve any positive purpose (as discussed herein), we believe it prudent to abolish it.”"
asinine mentality
ItsJustBluskyandImgrNow
1 Gbps = 1000 Mbps. A 1 Gbps connection can typically support 40 to 50 simultaneous 4K streams with no buffering. Big sports bars with many screens all streaming games in 4K would do quite well on a 1 Gbps plan. So I think folk are confusing the two. The average American doesn't have a Gbps internet plan; most homes subscribe to plans in the 300–500 Mbps range.
https://www.pcmag.com/explainers/calculate-how-much-internet-speed-you-really-need
Goatfer
Electricity is too fast! It's unfair to oil burning lamps!
RobertRossAD
Countries can get 8 gigabit connections in the mountains Americans can barely get 100/100 in small towns.
InfocalypseRising
Better abolish cars, they're unfair to horses
IMakeLotsOfReferencesAndRemakes
That is why they tore light rail out of cities actually. Bought them out so they could and that those cities would create more demand for the shitty cars. Inefficient tech brings in more money for them.
TheMoonBnuuy
All these hyperthreaded multi core systems are unfair to Amiga.
Computing speeds should be technologically neutral.
bloxxing
similar to the initial 'net rollout in oz, where the fascist govt decided that 56k dialup was good enough for the peasants.
AWarningToOthers
So I take it we are going back to horse and buggies now. This administration is being ran by the most unqualified clowns lead by the village idiot.
Osiricus
The dumbest cultural anchors in the world, the GOP rarely fails to prevent progress.
TonawandaBlue
Translation: Tech bro elites supporting the GOP are heavily invested in "slower technologies", and want to be able to charge exorbitant & extortionate fees for faster speeds.
IMakeLotsOfReferencesAndRemakes
Same as it ever was. From forcing us to need cars with making up jaywalking and lobbying for "urban design" to this. As long as they have money invested in it they will fight us making more advanced and efficient options. Because we "owe" them in their minds despite the fact that taxpayer dollars paid for the things they are charging us for!
mrthewhitee
Naw that's not it.
It's that it's expensive for telecoms to upgrade their rural networks for a small group of customers so they're lobbying hard to let those customers stay on old tech so telecoms can make more profit.
icantbelieveistillhavetoprotestthiscrap
Jesus christ I am so sick of being held back by oligarchs and their stumpfucking moronic supporters.
ForgotMyUsernameYetAgain
Israel has spent all of our money for us. Nothing's left for the basic needs of others.
Our internet backbone is more duct tape than copper at this point and it makes me sad.
RetrogradeLlama
Just because all you have is a hammer doesn't mean everything is a nail.
Israel has nothing to do with this.
ValuableInformation
Directly? Probably not. Indirectly? Abso-fucking-lutely. Brendan Carr is no stranger to receiving gifts from corporate entities and just because he may not be receiving money (that we know of) directly from Israel, his appointment to the FCC was done by someone who for sure has received some of that AIPAC cash. Same guy that went after Disney/Kimmel/etc at at Trump's request, by the way.
Jimthebutler
Doesnt the us have some of the worst internet availability?
fractalsphere
Another day another step backwards. Add is usual for conservatives
IDontCareAtAllButIShould
A 5600 bps dialup line should be more than enough for everyone. /s
ChadMaxxington
Totally in line with the current data center proliferation
lifeisadadjoke
Yeah, I've got 3 Gbps here in Canada, and it's so fucking crazy that the US wants to go slower. I wonder if it's because that Musk company, Starlink, can't hit the 1 Gbps speeds, and hey, the anti-equality party is all about equality now.
BdrLen
I've got "up to" 7 Mbps, usually half that for $90 a month. Monopolies are terrible for consumers.
Einbrecher
They're not trying to go slower - this is a handout to telecoms. The subsidies exist to help pay for the incredibly high costs to run fiber/etc. out to super rural folks where it would never make any business sense to do so. The subsidies pay out based on average speeds relative to this goal. By lowering the goal, telecoms get more money for doing less.
ValuableInformation
As funny as that would be, it's probably more to do with a bunch of really rural areas not having the infrastructure to support these high speeds & most companies don't really want to be forced to spend money on it if they don't need to. Shit, Comcast tried to make internet usage a utility but without actually being classified as a utility.
fractalsphere
We literally just this summer got 1gb service from 100mb and it's been great. I'm in technology and been just fucking waiting for it forever
sometimesifeellikeanut
I thought it was an Onion headline
TheMoonBnuuy
America First in nothing.
You guys go on ahead without us, we'll cross the finish line eventually.
AgentTasmania
Nothing *good* anyway
RetrogradeLlama
Republicans: Dragging us back to the past.
Meanwhile, other countries are quickly outdistancing us in Internet speed and other technologies - technologies that will determine who "wins" the economic wars.
But, like them killing Education, short term Republican goals never include what's best for the country. They don't even care that countries like China are walking all over us. All they care is about lining their pockets today.
ArthurT
Give them THE RACK!
junkgoof
To be fair the long term goals are at least as bad.
redtruck
You nailed it. All they want is “fuck you, pay me!”
SecretAgentSuperBooger
^
HarryDresdenIsMySpiritAnimal
Gigabit speed will be available for a hefty premium, just like the early insider trading tweets on unTruth
Whiskers7
Build all the data centres... But you only have dial up speed to access them. /S
hogeyegrex
YOU only get dial up. They get all the bandwidth they need to spy on everything you do.
duktayp
Meanwhile in Japan they're riding around in bullet trains going 250 mph, and have internet speeds up to 10 gbps
Phimukhi
Not only Japan, in France you can get 8Gbps even in rural area for less than $60/m
IMakeLotsOfReferencesAndRemakes
inb4 someone screams "iTs nOt pErFeCt! tHeIr aRe rAcIsTs tHeRe!" There are racists everywhere man and telling that to someone who grew up in the American South is laughable. I have seen horrifying shit and I am supposed to be worried about the rudeness of racists in other countries? Brother people are being mowed down in grocery stores with guns.
AsheLake
My main reason for not wanting to live in Japan is the exploitative work ethic, but sure, they have racism and sexism in spades too. What's your point, exactly? Other countries can't be criticized when the US is worse? America's #1 for violent racists? (Not gonna argue on that one.)
Or is there a wider trend of deflecting criticism of the US with irrelevant problems in Japan that I don't know about? This comment just seems like it comes out of nowhere, and I feel like I'm out of the loop.
ButtblasterMcAssmaster
The US has both higher work hours and suicide rates than Japan these days. Just sayin'.
AsheLake
Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not trying to say the US is better. What I *am* trying to say is that both can be bad. Criticizing one does not exonerate the other.
If people are really trying to defend the low bit rate in the US compared to other countries by saying that Japan racist, then they've completely lost the plot. It's a total non-sequitur.
I'm just wondering if that kinda thing had become a meme, or if hypothetical nonsense deflections are being brought up for no reason.
IMakeLotsOfReferencesAndRemakes
No its not that it cannot be criticized. Yes there is a trend of people who will bring up out of the blue problems that they have that are pretty irrelevant to the discussion at hand. Hence the "inb4" cause they show up pretty regularly "Oh man X European country sounds great!" "bUt tHe tAxEs hIgH!" "Canada is looking better and better" "bUt tHeIr hIsToRy wItH nAtIvEs!" Look I am all for discussions about issues... but not when its a whataboutism meant to "both sides" things.
AsheLake
Oh, absolutely. That shit grinds my gears, ironically, from both angles. It's annoying when it happens for real, and it's annoying when people reflexively claim someone is "both sides"-ing as soon anyone criticizes Dems. Ugh.
applesforjuice
I agree with your point that it doesn't matter but holy shit travel somewhere that isnt Europe outside of the US and you'll see racism on levels that will blow your mind. The US south is like a 1
IncognitoEnthusiast
lmao, no, the south is heinously racist, there are active lynchings gong on right now. There are still sundown towns, things are still segregated.
applesforjuice
Yes it is heinously racist, not arguing that