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March 15, 2010 By Karen Wilkinson
In what some say is akin to "the second wave of electricity" in America, the FCC wants to expand and increase high-speed Internet access nationwide while encouraging competition among service providers.
Set to be unveiled to Congress and the public Tuesday, March 16, the national broadband plan seeks to prioritize high-speed Internet as a "foundation for economic growth, job creation, global competitiveness and a better way of life," according to the FCC's summary report. The plan's recommendations could eventually trickle down.
"This is a breath of fresh air from the last eight years, when [the FCC] was chasing after porn," said Public Technology Institute Executive Director Alan Shark. "Finally we're looking at the most important thing for the success of the economy going forward."
Mandated by the 2009 stimulus bill, the FCC's vision over the next decade includes the following goals and recommendations, according to a press release from the FCC:
The U.S. needs to bring its broadband capabilities up to speed to retain a level of competitiveness. In doing so, "broadband gaps" need to be filled so that all populations, most notably the disabled, Native Americans, students and the unemployed, are connected, the FCC said.
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The FCC's sunny picture of the future of broadband data transmission in this country may require a new FCC. The current membership has been more interested in protecting private near-monopoly businesses like Comcast and News Corp. Keeping these wolves away from the flock needs to be the first order of business. Just like we USED to do with the broadcast bands, we need to ensure that most broadband capacity remains a shared public resource, not the private purview of mega-corporations whose only motivation is short-term profit.
The FCC's sunny picture of the future of broadband data transmission in this country may require a new FCC. The current membership has been more interested in protecting private near-monopoly businesses like Comcast and News Corp. Keeping these wolves away from the flock needs to be the first order of business. Just like we USED to do with the broadcast bands, we need to ensure that most broadband capacity remains a shared public resource, not the private purview of mega-corporations whose only motivation is short-term profit.
The FCC's sunny picture of the future of broadband data transmission in this country may require a new FCC. The current membership has been more interested in protecting private near-monopoly businesses like Comcast and News Corp. Keeping these wolves away from the flock needs to be the first order of business. Just like we USED to do with the broadcast bands, we need to ensure that most broadband capacity remains a shared public resource, not the private purview of mega-corporations whose only motivation is short-term profit.