As expected, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released a sweeping proposal to bring broadband Internet access to nearly 100 million additional Americans.
The FCC’s plan, entitled Connecting America: The National Broadband Plan, was mandated under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and produced by an FCC task force. In brief, the FCC’s plan includes the following goals and recommendations:
- Connect 100 million households to affordable 100-megabits-per-second service;
- Provide ultra-high-speed broadband of at least 1 gigabit per second to schools, hospitals and military installations;
- Free up 500 megahertz of spectrum for licensed and unlicensed use;
- Increase broadband adoption rates in the Unites States from 65% to more than 90%;
- Transition Universal Service Fund support from analog technologies to improving the digital infrastructure;
- Conduct market-based analyses of price, speed and availability to promote competition across the broadband ecosystem;
- Provide every first responder with access to a nationwide, wireless, interoperable public safety network.
According to the FCC, more than 80 million American adults and 13 million American children over the age of five do not have access to high-speed Internet connections at home.
Read a summary of the Commission’s National Broadband Plan.
