Positive Reaction To Broadand Plan
Initial reaction Monday to the FCC's long-awaited national broadband plan was positive, particularly from public interest groups. The FCC detailed the document Monday and released the executive summary of the plan, which outlines six long-term broadband goals, including superfast connectivity to 100 million households and transforming the United States into a world leader in mobile broadband use and innovation.
Public Knowledge President Gigi Sohn described the report as a "balanced, comprehensive and forward-looking plan." She said her group is "particularly encouraged to see so much attention devoted to competition policies, which we believe will help to create new opportunities for innovators and new choices for consumers in what is now a tightly held duopoly" for broadband services.
Consumer Federation of America Research Director Mark Cooper said it was "good news" to see that the FCC will launch dozens of proceedings to implement its policies. "Given the complete absence of policies to address the digital divide and promote competition in broadband in the past decade, this is an ambitious agenda and a good starting point for responding to the challenge confronting the U.S. communications network," he said.
While saying his group "strongly" supports the FCC's goals, Free Press Executive Director Josh Silver warned that "to put the market to work for American consumers, the FCC will need to foster competition to drive down prices and drive up speeds. This will require confronting the market power of the cable and telephone giants that control the broadband market."
TechNet President and CEO Rey Ramsey said the plan "can truly represent the 'North Star' for future American innovation leadership," praising in particular the FCC's goal of superfast connectivity to 100 million households by 2020.
In addition, TechNet and some of its member companies and other tech associations sent a letter Monday to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski that said the plan must identify new spectrum for wireless broadband, revise outdated regulation to redirect subsidy programs to support affordable access to broadband in fair and efficient ways, revise intercarrier compensation rules to promote investment in broadband, and provide easier access to rights of way to promote deployment.
"It is critical that we have a smart, effective national blueprint to bring affordable broadband to every person and business in the United States," according to the letter, signed by Ramsey, as well as Cisco CEO and Chairman John Chambers, Dell CEO and Chairman Michael Dell, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Information Technology Industry Council President Dean Garfield, Intel CEO and President Paul Otellini, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Technology CEO Council Executive Director Bruce Mehlman and others.
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