FCC Seeks To Improve U.S. Broadband Access
The three main issues the agency is tackling first are, figuring out how to improve availability, quality and affordability, according to the Washington Post. Acting FCC Chairman Michael J. Copps held a meeting this week where he asked the public to comment on the national broadband plan, which Congress has demanded be done by February.
The public has 60 days to submit comments; the agency and members of the public will be able to reply to comments for an additional 30 days after that.
Copps said that, beyond debates on technologies, the FCC would look at coming up with standards for speed and guidelines for what places are most in need of high-speed Internet service. The agency would also focus on demand issues, such as why more than three times as many people in urban areas are not connecting to high-speed Internet service compared with those in rural areas.
The answer to the latter may have been answered, at least in part, in a survey conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Price accounts for a lot of the people not connecting to high-speed Internet. And there are a not insignificant number of people who claim they don't want to get on the Internet at all, whether they can get high-speed access or not.The telecommunications lobby and public interest groups already are chiming in, with some saying a planned "$7 billion federal phone subsidy program for rural areas should instead be used for broadband." Another $7.2 billion is in the stimulus package for broadband development, primarily in rural areas. Copps may be in the driver's seat for the moment, but President Obama's nominee for FCC chief is Julius Genachowski, who once served as chief counsel to the FCC chairman before moving into the private sector.
To find out how to comment on the plan, read page 41 of the FCC's PDF document, which you can download by clicking here. (It's on page 42 of the Microsoft Word document, which you can download here.)
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>> All filings related to this Notice of Inquiry should refer to GN Docket No. 09-51. To improve the Commission’s ability to analyze public comments, we request commenters to address specific statutory sections (e.g., section 6001(k)(2)(A)) and to mirror the organization of this Notice of Inquiry where possible. Comments may be filed using: (1) the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), (2) the Federal Government’s eRulemaking Portal, or (3) by filing paper copies. See Electronic Filing of Documents in Rulemaking Proceedings, 63 FR 24121 (1998).... Translation: "Keep your damned comments to yourself." |
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I think we should give a bunch of money to the telcoms. That worked out great last time. Right? |
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^lol... Why dont they give you a tax break, or pay for 90% of your internet bill, if you install a wireless N router in you house and dont put a password on it... Now theres an Idea! |
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^Sounds good to me! The wireless card in my upstairs bedroom PC is showing 15 wireless networks, but only one of them is not secure (but it is too weak). I could save a bundle of money if they followed Der's suggestion!
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Maybe if we didn't use our military we could spend $43 billion on our broadband like Australia. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7986918.stm Not that I'm suggesting we do that, then I'd be out of a job... |
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On a serious note. Its the last mile issues that we really have. I think if the 3G services were not so costly that they would be a decent option. A bit high of a ping for gaming, but for normal internet use it is great. |
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