FCC broadband planners to outline hurdles to universal access

There's not enough spectrum for mobile broadband. A federal fund for phone service needs to be repurposed to include broadband. Consumers should be told the truth about the Internet access speeds they pay for. These are the problems identified by the Federal Communications Commission as obstacles in its effort to blanket the country with high-speed Internet service. Blair Levin is head of the FCC's task force charged to come up with solutions before a February deadline. He will discuss those policy-related gaps at an agency meeting Wednesday that's scheduled to start at 10 a.m. But it won't be easy to solve these issues, which are already being contested by companies who fear that new policies could negatively impact their business plans. One hurdle for users is a lack of transparency by providers, he said. Internet network operators such as Verizon, Comcast, and AT&T will have to be a lot more transparent about the services, prices, and speeds they offer. And consumers should be able to get a clear sense of the options they have among those and other telecom, cable and satellite broadband providers before signing up for a service. Last September, Levin's team reported that Internet users are paying for speeds that lag what was advertised to them by as much as 50 percent.