FCC Report on National Broadband Service
The US Federal Communications Commission issued their sixth periodic report today as mandated by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 on the status of national broadband service. FCC Chairman Michael Copps said the “prospects are bleak” that the rural areas of the country will receive the service by the 2020 time line, if at all.
The telecommunications giants are all claiming that it is financially unsound to invest in broadband infrastructure because of ROI factors, based on the number of potential customers. The National Broadband Plan, released in March of this year, proposes a private/public funding model to accelerate the technology’s implementation. It appears that the industry giants are wanting the taxpayers to pay for the installation and then let them control access.
All of the cable companies across the country are infamous for demanding non-competitive contracts from county officials in the areas that they provide service and then only establish service in high-density population areas. They then claim the entire county as their territory, regardless of service provision. This ROI claim is the same song and dance that we have heard from the cable industry for years, as they coop instead of compete. This arrangement allows for maximum profit, generally holding the customer hostage unless they purchase a satellite system. They are lobbying the FCC intensely to block an open internet, as they buy as much video content as they can during this process. They clearly see the competition built into the government’s proposal and are once again attempting to hijack the technology.
What this government plan does is open the door for community based broadband operations backed by local investors, as they are also eligible for the federal funding assistance. The question is will anyone step up and grasp what is obviously the communications grid of the future.
About the author: James Mowery is a computer geek that writes about technology and related topics. To read more blog posts by him, go to laptop computers.
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