McDowell Brings March Madness to National Broadband Plan

Federal Communications Commission member Robert McDowell had some reminders and some cautions when commenting on the National Broadband Plan.

He said the plan "does not carry with it the force and effect of law. In other words, the Plan itself contains no rules. Not having a vote has given the Broadband Plan team the flexibility to make their recommendations to Congress and the Commission freely. Rulemakings, opportunities for public comment, subsequent debates and votes on proposed rules spawned by the Plan still lie over the horizon. In short, today marks the beginning of a long process, not the end of one." He noted that the cable industry already had a broadband plan that was working to achieve the government's goal of high-speed service to 100 million households by 2020 and that cable modem service is already available to 92% of households. The first among McDowell's his concerns is that he said the plan "opens the door" to reclassifying broadband as a voice service under Title II of the Communications Act.

He also took issue with proposals for a digital media fund, or suggestions for a national framework for Internet taxation.