New year, same FCC finding: Advanced telecom infrastructure not being deployed in a reasonable and timely fashion

As it has since 2010, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission is expected to report this month that advanced telecommunications infrastructure is not being deployed in a reasonable and timely fashion. Consequently, 34 million Americans still lack access to landline premise service with 39 percent of the nation's rural population left without service, according to a draft progress report required under Section 706 of the Communications Act issued this week.

On the heels of a Pew Research Center study finding that premise service connections have leveled off as more Americans exclusively use mobile wireless devices for Internet access, the draft FCC report notes these consumers tend to perform a more limited range of tasks and are significantly more likely to incur additional usage fees or forgo use of the Internet.