If you have a business or live in the rural heartland of America and have trouble getting
broadband access, take heart. It's (slowly) coming.
By next February, the Federal Communications Commission will have created a nationwide plan to provide broadband access to every American. The funds for the project were appropriated in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 -- also known as the stimulus package. The act allocates $7.2 billion in taxpayer funding to promote expansion.
A recent United Nations report noted that the United States fell to 17th place from 11th place in a survey of the use by advanced nations of information and communications technology, which considered account adoption, speed and literacy. Partly in response to such a poor public image, Congress has mandated that the FCC have a plan ready to submit by Feb. 17, 2010.
The plan must discuss various methods of ensuring broadband access for all Americans as well as strategies for achieving affordability and maximum utilization of broadband infrastructure and services. Further, the plan must explain how broadband can be used to advance consumer welfare, civic participation, public safety and homeland security, community development, health-care delivery, energy independence and efficiency, education, worker training, private sector investment, entrepreneurial activity, job creation and economic growth, and other national purposes. The plan is expected to explore a government-subsidized broadband network and network-neutrality protections.
Proponents note that the plan should increase competition and potentially reduce consumer costs. However, many carriers are lobbying against substantive changes, citing lower revenue streams.
