FCC Commissioners voted 3-0 today (pdf), to approve an effort to seek public comment on a national broadband plan, reports PC World. Regulators opened the debate on Wednesday on how to extend broadband to low-income and other under-served areas.
The Federal Communications Commission, under orders from Congress, has until February 2010 to draw up a strategy, explains Reuters.
But by the time the FCC creates its plan for broadband, it is likely that Internet service providers will have claimed much of the $7.2 billion in stimulus funds without major input from the agency, observes the Washington Post. And that has some worried that the Obama administration’s call to wire the nation risks having taxpayer money going toward projects that are not needed and have been created without clear guidelines.
Ideally, the FCC’s plan would have been in place before stimulus funds were granted, say tech advisers who helped craft President Obama’s broadband strategy. But the urgency of the economic crisis called for quick ways to create jobs, including through broadband deployment, they said.
A United Nations report this week said the U.S. has fallen to 17th from 11th in a survey of nations’ advanced use of information and communications technology, which took into account adoption, speed and literacy.
“This is a huge deal. . . . Broadband is the central infrastructure challenge of the early 21st century,” acting FCC Chairman Michael J. Copps said in an interview with the Washington Post. “If done right, it will be the most formative proceeding in the FCC’s history.”
Obama’s choice to lead the FCC is Julius Genachowski, a former executive at IAC/Interactive and technology investor. His nomination is making its way through Senate confirmation, which is expected.
Robert McDowell, the sole Republican on the FCC, said the plan should not include any “counterproductive government mandates.” It “must allow network operators a reasonable opportunity to pay back investors,” he said.
Those views echo those of many in the telecommunications industry, which in general oppose mandates for openness that prevent Internet providers from discriminating as it routes Internet traffic.
Public interest groups want such a mandate on Internet openness and want the FCC to boost speeds that can be labeled “high speed.” Digital rights group Public Knowledge, called the move toward a national policy “long overdue.” The media reform organization Free Press praised the FCC for beginning the process for increasing government guidance in the telecommunications sector.
Susanne Guyer, Verizon’s senior vice president of federal regulatory affairs, said in a statement that the company looks forward to working with the commission.
Currently, broadband costs $40 to $60 a month on average, putting it out of reach for many low-income consumers.
Big carriers have resisted calls by consumer groups to lower prices. But in the face of new competition, particularly from small wireless providers, they might not have a choice, say industry observers.
