FCC Puts Broadband Plan Into Motion
April 21, 2010
| 4:43 PM
The FCC took a giant leap Wednesday toward implementing more than 200 proposals in its national broadband plan by unanimously adopting six regulatory measures stemming from the technology blueprint, CongressDaily reported.
Highlights of the proposals approved at a public meeting include tentative rules to reorient the $8 billion federal Universal Service Fund toward supporting broadband deployment and adoption.
The FCC also recommended a "standard interface" that would allow any electronic device to connect to any broadband network, enabling televisions to serve as Internet gateways. That goal would be achieved in the near-term with a special adapter available in stores by Dec. 31, 2012, but eventually, the technology could be built into smartphones, televisions and other gadgets.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski emphasized that plenty of work lies ahead as the commission prepares to initiate more than 60 regulatory proposals spurred by the plan, submitted to Congress last month. But looming over the developments are lingering questions about the agency's authority to regulate the Internet in the wake of a recent federal appeals court decision.
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