FCC Weighs Free-Internet Plan

In the quest to increase Americans' access to broadband Internet, federal regulators are considering a new plan: get someone to give it away free. The Federal Communications Commission is considering a plan that would require the winner of a planned airwaves auction to offer free wireless-Internet service to most Americans within the next few years. Details of the plan still have to be worked out, and it isn't entirely clear who might bid for the airwaves. Most of the major carriers have already bulked up their spectrum holdings through recent FCC auctions or acquisitions, and start-ups may have difficulty raising enough capital to not only win the auction but build out a network. If it works, however, the FCC's plan could represent a major step forward in U.S. broadband policy since it would provide at least bare-bones wireless-Internet service to millions of Americans who either don't have access to high-speed Internet services or aren't willing to pay for them.
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