FCC Recommends Outfitting Military Installations with Ultra High-Speed Connection

Following consultation with the Department of Defense (DoD), the team developing the Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Plan has included a recommendation that the DoD equip select military installations with ultra high-speed broadband connections that would provide military personnel and their families with improved access to enhanced broadband connectivity.

The FCC's Plan outlines strategies for providing robust, affordable broadband to the entire nation and integrating broadband fully into the American economy and the daily lives of Americans. The DoD and FCC have discussed the merit of this proposal and agree this particular recommendation will be aligned with the missions of the Armed Forces. The recommendation reflects a tactic in the plan to investigate using federal facilities as a powerful way to push broadband more deeply into all corners of the nation. Military installations typically already have broadband connectivity but are ideal communities for ultra high-speed broadband connectivity, due to their scale and the variety of services they provide to military personnel and their families.

The National Broadband Plan will recommend that the Defense Department create a task force, in consultation with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, to make recommendations on the selection, level of connectivity, and applications that could be deployed and supported. The military would retain operational control over the requirements and project implementation.