Re: New minimum speed for US broadband connections

[Abhi Devireddy <abhi () devireddy com>]

I think the 10:1 ratio might have been great 5 years ago, when usage was more asymmetric. The last 5 yrs. have 
definitely changed the profile of a typical home user. A 4M upload pipe, will hit bottlenecks with all the 
collaboration that is happening remotely.

Typical residential usage:
Zoom group call: 2M upload
OneDrive + Dropbox + Box + Other file sync services: ~ 1 - 5M
Nest / Ring / Other constantly streaming camera = ~1M

If I'm working on a media file that's syncing real-time + on a zoom call, artifacts are impossible to avoid. Add to 
that 2+ users working remotely from the same home.

@Mike, Telehealth relies on a combination of HD video + accessories that stream AV + telemetry in real-time. In 
addition to bumping up the 4M upload, I agree with all the other comments on here about setting some parameters around 
latency and packet loss.

I think if anything, the proliferation of smart devices, requirements for higher reliability and the continuity of WFH 
practices are going to put additional demands on upload, not lower.

Abhi

________________________________
From: NANOG <nanog-bounces+abhi=devireddy.com () nanog org> on behalf of Blake Hudson <blake () ispn net>
Sent: Friday, May 28, 2021 9:02 AM
To: nanog () nanog org <nanog () nanog org>
Subject: Re: New minimum speed for US broadband connections

What is the rationale for changing it? Have the applications changed? Has our use of them changed?

Yes, somewhat. There's been, and will continue to be, more cord cutting of non-IP broadcast video services towards 
unicast IP streaming services. However, video codecs have gotten more efficient so that what used to require an 8Mbps 
stream now fits in a 4Mbps package. I see more folks video conferencing (whether that be for personal or business use), 
which relies more heavily on upload than most applications. Folks with crummy WiFi or slower upload speeds have become 
the have-nots in this remote work era. The goal of subsidies is to lift the base/minimum so that there are fewer 
have-nots. Set the qualifier too low and you'll end up providing assistance where it doesn't accomplish this goal. 
Raise the qualifier too high too soon and you run the risk of excluding assistance where it could help.

I'm content with 10Mbps down per person in the household (a quick rule of thumb I've been using for a few years). If a 
common household has 4 people, 40Mbps download seems sufficient for today's typical usage (this assumes a 10:1 
download:upload ratio, so ~4Mbps up). Latency needs to be quick enough for real-time voice or video calls to work 
smoothly. If the makeup of our homes change or the applications we use within the home change, I'm all for adjusting 
these figures. This still leaves DSL, cable, fiber, and various wireless technologies as options that would qualify for 
the definition of broadband. At some point, if one of these technologies cannot keep up with the pace of demand it will 
need to be excluded in favor of technologies that have done a better job of keeping pace.

--B


On 5/28/2021 8:07 AM, Chris Adams (IT) wrote:

I’d be interested to understand the rationale for not wanting to change the definition. Is it strictly the 
business/capital outlay expense?





Thanks,



Chris Adams



From: NANOG <nanog-bounces+chris.adams=ung.edu () nanog org><mailto:nanog-bounces+chris.adams=ung.edu () nanog org> On 
Behalf Of Jason Canady
Sent: Friday, May 28, 2021 8:39 AM
To: nanog () nanog org<mailto:nanog () nanog org>
Subject: Re: New minimum speed for US broadband connections



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I second Mike.



On 5/28/21 8:37 AM, Mike Hammett wrote:

I don't think it needs to change.


-----
Mike Hammett
Intelligent Computing Solutions
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________________________________

From: "Sean Donelan" <sean () donelan com><mailto:sean () donelan com>
To: nanog () nanog org<mailto:nanog () nanog org>
Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2021 7:29:08 PM
Subject: New minimum speed for US broadband connections


What should be the new minimum speed for "broadband" in the U.S.?