Adtran, Hughes Continue Jousting Over CAF Latency Testing

Adtran and Hughes Network Systems still agree that eligibility for the FCC Connect America Fund Phase II broadband subsidy should be technology neutral, and continue to differ hugely on what eligibility should then mean. In an ex parte presentation posted Friday in docket 10-90, Adtran said Hughes' proposed specifications for the latency tests set the bar far too low. Hughes' proposal R-Factor of 52 -- R-Factor being a measure of VoIP call quality -- set the guideline at a quality level "as being ‘nearly all users dissatisfied’ under the ITU standards," Adtran said. It then reiterated its case made before for an R-Factor of at least 80 when testing the rural broadband network build-out for its ability to be used for such purposes as VoIP (see 1505290037). Hughes earlier this month had said 52 would open up competition to the widest array of technologies (see 1506030014).