Cast the Net

The Federal Communications Commission is proposing an ambitious 10-year plan that will reimagine the nation’s media and technology priorities by establishing high-speed Internet as the country’s dominant communication network.

N.Y. Times Article

This is the bill that will outline how “net neutrality” and other issues play out for years to come. It includes plans to sell TV spectrum for mobile use, a shift that reflects how consumers are using these devices.

The U.S. has been lagging behind most other technologically modern nations in broadband speed and penetration. Where So. Korea built high speed WiFi as part of its critical infrastructure, and makes it available to everyone as a strategic resource, in the U.S. about 1 in 3 people can’t afford access.

A recent Pew study found that globally, 1 in 4 people think that internet access is a basic human right.

Key points in the new bill include: reforming the way the Universal Service Fund is distributed, away from providing telephone service to rural and poor people, to a focus on internet access in these areas.

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• Inside net neutrality with FCC Commissioner Robert M. McDowell (computerworld.com)
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• Vast F.C.C. Plan Would Bring Net to More in U.S. (nytimes.com)
• F.C.C. long-anticipated bill to be public this week (currentbuzz.org)
• Vast FCC Plan Would Establish High-Speed Internet As Nation's Dominant Communications Network (huffingtonpost.com)