National Broadband Plan is headed to Congress
Summary: The long-awaited National Broadband Plan is heading for Congress tomorrow, the FCC reports.
The Federal Communications Commission said today that it will release its National Broadband Plan to Congress tomorrow, a plan for "connecting all corners of the nation" with a robust and affordable communications network that will transform the economy and U.S. society. Bu
In a statement, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said the plan is a first step at helping the U.S. compete globally. He said:
The National Broadband Plan is a 21st century roadmap to spur economic growth and investment, create jobs, educate our children, protect our citizens, and engage in our democracy. It’s an action plan, and action is necessary to meet the challenges of global competitiveness, and harness the power of broadband to help address so many vital national issues.
The plan, to be rolled out over the next decade, includes the following goals and recommendations:
- Connect 100 million households to affordable 100-megabits-per-second service, building the world's largest market of high-speed broadband users and ensuring that new jobs and businesses are created in America.
- Affordable access in every American community to ultra-high-speed broadband of at least 1 gigabit per second at anchor institutions such as schools, hospitals, and military installations so that America is hosting the experiments that produce tomorrow's ideas and industries.
- Ensure that the United States is leading the world in mobile innovation by making 500 megahertz of spectrum newly available for licensed and unlicensed use.
- Move our adoption rates from roughly 65 percent to more than 90 percent and make sure that every child in America is digitally literate by the time he or she leaves high school.
- Bring affordable broadband to rural communities, schools, libraries, and vulnerable populations by transitioning existing Universal Service Fund support from yesterday’s analog technologies to tomorrow’s digital infrastructure.
- Promote competition across the broadband ecosystem by ensuring greater transparency, removing barriers to entry, and conducting market-based analysis with quality data on price, speed, and availability.
- Enhance the safety of the American people by providing every first responder with access to a nationwide, wireless, interoperable public safety network.
The full plan won't be publicly released until tomorrow but the executive summary is available now.
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Talkback
How will they pay for this? Subsidies? A new tax on broadband?
Just like other telecoms, we are going to find a new way to use something without paying for taxes.... mark my text.
RE: National Broadband Plan is headed to Congress
Internet Access as a human right
Of course everyone ignores that the guarantee of free speech never gave us the right to own a newspaper or even the right to have our opinions published in a newspaper - in the days when print newspapers were the only major method of distributing news. When we graduated to radio and then television, no one ever got the "right" to radio or television. Why should internet access be any different?
And also, do we follow this to its logical conclusion? If you have a "right" to internet access in your home (and we have to assume that's what they are talking about since its already available at most schools and public libraries) then just providing the connection isn't enough. If you have a right to internet access then logically don't you have a "right" to a computer too unless you are going to stick the wire in your ear or something? And if you have a right to internet access and the computer that you use to connect, then I guess you have a right to electricity too. While we are at it, I guess you have a "right" to a house too because otherwise where are you going to put the computer you have a right to and where will you connect the electric service you have a right too and the internet connection you have a right to.
Of course you may still starve to death because no one gave you the right to food and you wouldn't want to have to actually do anything for yourself, right?
Bad analogy...
from Arpanet, a government built network paid by
taxpayers. Secondly, public libraries (i.e. access to
knowledge) is another government initiative started in
the 18th century. It is a logical extension that the
government should regulate equal access to the
internet otherwise the monopolies would take over.
Just think what the internet would be like if it was
invented by Microsoft. You would pay thru the nose..
Of course, MS could never come up with such a
brilliant idea.
Instead, Tim Berners Lee, working at a government
facility in Switzerland, had the vision to create the
world wide web and provide us with this wonderful
infrastructure (he refused to patent it). It has served
well, and empowered people around the world to equal
access to information.. What is wrong with that???
I Guess I Would Like...
If this is just another obama bill, so his friends and family, who don't work, will have all the toys that everyone who works have, then hell no.
Thats easy
more porkulus from Washington
Here's a thought
the H**** out of the way. Stinking fascists. And, yes, I mean
fascist. Look it up. It's a leftist economic system closely related to
socialism and communism.
Government: If You Think The Problems We Create Are Bad,
http://www.despair.com/government.html
RE: National Broadband Plan is headed to Congress
"Enhance the safety of the American people by providing every first responder with access to a nationwide, wireless, interoperable public safety network."
What are they talking about here? "safety of the American people?" That sounds like control over content to me. Anytime our government starts talking about safety for us usually means they want to control something without saying so.
As far as an infrastructure of fast Internet access, I am for that but watch out for their safety standards.
lrfocke
If its so important why did govt wait till now?
But how can you doubt the sincerity of our govt? Surely you see how the new "Homeland Security" agency protects us?
They said the magic word: "Affordable"
Govt can make something cheaper just by passing more laws!
These guys are amazing.
RE: National Broadband Plan is headed to Congress