FCC needs Congress' help on broadband effort

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With the public release of its national broadband plan Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission prepared to start the hard work of getting Congress to help the agency implement roughly 200 recommendations. The bulk of the recommendation can be enacted by the FCC, such as diverting money from a fund for affordable phone service to rural areas to be used for increasing broadband access. But Congress would have to act on others, particularly changing rules for federal auctions of federal airwaves to entice some broadcasters to give up their spectrum so the airwaves could be used for wireless Internet access.

While praising the effort put into drafting the plan, the FCC's two Republicans cautioned against moving too quickly. They said it was important to assess whether government actions would discourage the private investment needed for telecommunications companies to expand their networks. Those concerns were echoed by some free-market think tanks, which warned of increased government involvement in a market they said has flourished through vibrant competition. But consumer and business groups, along with telecommunications companies, generally praised the plan for pressing for more affordable Internet access even as they said they were still analyzing the specifics.


FCC needs Congress' help on broadband effort