Ten things you must know about the National Broadband Plan

Here are some of the highlights of the National broadband Plan that appear most critical to the telecommunications industry, based on a preliminary review of the plan.

1) The plan includes no target date for phasing-out traditional telephone service.

2) The Universal Service Fund will not grow.

3) The plan would allow rate of return carriers to transition to price cap financial metrics, with the goal of minimizing USF payments to those carriers.

4) No resolution on information versus telecommunications service debate.

5) Interstate access diverted to fund broadband.

6) Phantom traffic should be prohibited.

7) Door open to increased unbundling requirements. 8) Door open to special access rate changes. 9) New set top box requirements.

10) Release of the plan represents the beginning, not the end of the process.

The FCC will use 4 Mb/s download speeds as the definition of broadband for the proposed Connect America Fund, which it proposes to replace today's Universal Service high-cost fund.