[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 76 (Wednesday, April 20, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22103-22104]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-9624]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[CG Docket No. 09-158; DA 11-661]


The Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Seeks Comment on 
``Need for Speed'' Information for Consumers of Broadband Services

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Commission, via the Consumer and 
Governmental Affairs Bureau (Bureau), seeks input on the information 
necessary for consumers to make informed choices among competing 
broadband Internet access services. According to the most recently 
available data, many consumers lack information about their broadband 
connection's performance and its ability to support different services 
and activities online. This document seeks comment about the speed and 
performance required for the range of Internet applications consumers 
intend to use, and how to communicate that information to consumers.

DATES: Comments are due on or before May 26, 2011. Reply comments are 
due on or before June 16, 2011.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by [CG Docket No. 09-
158], and by any of the following methods:
     Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically 
using the Internet by accessing the Commission's Electronic Comment 
Filing System (ECFS): http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs2/. Filers should 
follow the instructions provided on the Web site for submitting 
comments. For ECFS Filers, in completing the transmittal screen, filers 
should include their full name, U.S. Postal Service mailing address, 
and the applicable docket, which in this instance is CG Docket No. 09-
158.
     Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must 
file an original and four copies of each filing. Filings can be sent by 
hand or messenger delivery, by commercial overnight courier, or by 
first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail. All filings must be 
addressed to the Commission's Secretary, Office of the Secretary, 
Federal Communications Commission.
     All hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings 
for the Commission's Secretary must be delivered to FCC Headquarters at 
445 12th Street, SW., Room TW-A325, Washington, DC 20554. All hand 
deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any 
envelopes must be disposed of before entering the building. The filing 
hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
     Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service 
Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton 
Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743. U.S. Postal Service first-class, 
Express, and Priority mail must be addressed to 445 12th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20554.

In addition, parties must serve one copy of each pleading with the 
Commission's duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc., 445 
12th Street, SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554, or via e-mail to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Satterwhite, Consumer and 
Governmental Affairs Bureau, at (202) 418-3626 (voice), or e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's 
document, DA 11-661, released April 11, 2011 in CG Docket No. 09-158. 
The full text of document DA 11-661 and copies of any subsequently 
filed documents in this matter will be available for public inspection 
and copying via ECFS (insert [CG Docket No. 09-158] into the Proceeding 
block) and during regular business hours at the FCC Reference 
Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street, SW, Room CY-A257, 
Washington, DC 20554. They may also be purchased from the Commission's 
duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc., Portals II, 445 
12th Street, SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554, telephone: (800) 
378-3160, fax: (202) 488-5563, or via its Web site, http://www.bcpiweb.com.
    Pursuant to 47 CFR 1.1200 et seq., this matter shall be treated as 
a ``permit-but-disclose'' proceeding in accordance with the 
Commission's ex parte rules. Persons making oral ex parte presentations 
are reminded that memoranda summarizing the presentations must contain 
summaries of the substance of the presentation and not merely a listing 
of the subjects discussed. More than a one or two sentence description 
of the views and arguments presented is generally required. Other rules 
pertaining to oral and written presentations are set forth in 47 CFR 
1.1206(b).

[[Page 22104]]

    People with Disabilities: To request materials in accessible 
formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic 
files, audio format), send an e-mail to [email protected] or call the 
Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice) or 
(202) 418-0432 (TTY).

Synopsis

    In document DA 11-661, the Bureau seeks input on the information 
necessary for consumers to make informed choices among competing 
broadband Internet access services. In particular, document DA 11-661 
seeks comment about the speed and performance required for the range of 
Internet applications consumers intend to use, and how to communicate 
that information to consumers. According to data collected by the 
Commission, many consumers lack information about their connection's 
performance and its ability to support different services and 
activities online. The lack of such information hampers consumers' 
ability to compare tiers of service offered by and among providers.
    Consumers rely on Internet-based applications and services that 
place a wide range of demands on broadband network, and consumers' 
experiences can be impacted by a broadband service's speed, latency, 
and jitter. Document DA 11-661 seeks input on the information that is 
most useful to consumers assessing which broadband service to purchase. 
This is part of the Commission's ongoing effort to ensure that 
consumers have access to the information they need about the 
communications services they purchase and use.
    The Bureau seeks comment on the service characteristics that 
consumers need to consider to determine broadband performance 
requirements and the most effective way to ensure consumers are 
informed about their broadband performance needs.

Federal Communications Commission.
Mark Stone,
Deputy Chief, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau.
[FR Doc. 2011-9624 Filed 4-19-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P