[NNagain] What is the difference between "broadband" and "Internet"?

[Livingood, Jason]

On 11/6/23, 13:48, "Nnagain on behalf of Dave Taht via Nnagain" <nnagain-bounces at lists.bufferbloat.net <mailto:nnagain-bounces at lists.bufferbloat.net> on behalf of nnagain at lists.bufferbloat.net 

> One of the things on my list for this week is trying to understand
what differences, if any, exist, in regulation, between "wired
broadband" verse various forms of fixed wireless (5G's recent
penetration into FWA notwithstanding, many better technologies exist
and are far more widely deployed) , verses mobile wireless? To me,
it's all "internet". Is there a fundamental legal difference between
"broadband" and internet?

In the US at least, it seems like the last time this was considered was more in the 4G era - so no 5G, 5G FWA, LEO - and there was less spectrum. So, while IANAL, it seems like the MNOs were permitted extra 'network management' leeway as compared with wireline in acknowledgement of those relative limitations (that are now alleviated). It sort of seems like the FCC is updating their view of this now that all the technical & spectrum changes have happened and is viewing it more as fixed (via whatever access tech) vs mobile - which seems more logical in my personal view. That is especially the case if you consider it from a consumer standpoint, where they will not much care about the last mile tech - be that WiFi or 5G FWA or FTTP or DOCSIS - but more what network / service qualities does it deliver & I think they expect the same ISP rules no matter what. 

I think you can probably see this playing out across the various NPRMs and NOIs from the FCC - such as the recent one on the definition of broadband (https://www.telecompetitor.com/fcc-gets-set-to-increase-broadband-speed-definition-to-100-20-mbps/). 

JL