Slow steps to high-speed broadband

[Commentary] The National Broadband Plan that the Federal Communications Commission released Tuesday is ambitious in the right way, staking out such immodest national goals as building the most innovative and fastest wireless networks on the planet and vastly improving the wired infrastructure within a decade.

But the commission moved so cautiously toward those goals, it's hard to see at this point how it's going to reach them. The boldest part of the plan is its proposal that local television stations be paid to give up some of their airwaves to make room for powerful new wireless broadband services. It's a compelling idea that requires Congress' approval, but it's likely to die on Capitol Hill unless broadcasters go along. That's not a rebuke of the plan or the commission's pragmatism; it's just an acknowledgment of the fight that lies ahead.