Report: FCC Broadband Plan Goes To Congress Tuesday

Broadband Plan Goes To Congress

The NEW YORK TIMES is reporting that the FCC's national broadband plan will be submitted to Congress on TUESDAY.

The 10-year plan will offer a blueprint for accelerated deployment of broadband Internet as the primary communications delivery system in the nation, inclyding subsidies for wiring rural areas, auctioning spectrum to clear more space for wireless broadband, and the development of a universal set-top box.

The plan, released a day early to the public, sets forth six goals for the next decade, including making 100 megabits per second download speeds and 50 megabits per second upload speeds available to at least 100 million homes; the "fastest and most extensive wireless networks of any nation"; affordable access for everyone; 1 gigabit per second access for all schools, hospitals, and government buildings; wireless, interoperable broadband for public safety first responders; and broadband use to track energy consumption.

Several aspects of the plan, which is likely to continue the Internet's effect on audio and music delivery, are expected to encounter stiff opposition, including the ire of cable companies, phone companies and ISPs whose businesses presently control the pricing and availability of Internet service, and from the television industry, which faces the loss of over-the-air licenses.

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