FCC Takes Steps to Implement National Broadband Plan

The Federal Communications Commission started to put the National Broadband Plan into action at its April open meeting, where commissioners adopted a list of items ranging from reforming universal service to broadband survivability and cyber security.

The first item on the agenda was the Connect America Fund.  As described by FCC staff, the fund is designed to tackle the issue of reforming  universal service to support nationwide  broadband develoment without increasing the cost of the existing Universal Service Fund. Commissioners unanimously approved the proposed Notice of Inquiry and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to replace the existing program with one that more effectively targets networks that can provide more advanced data and voice service.

The creation of such a fund is a significant step toward fulfilling the Knight Commission’s recommendation  for adopting public policies that will promote nationwide broadband availability and encourage consumer demand for broadband services (recommendation #8).

On other items of business before the Commission, commissioners endorsed a requirement for automatic roaming for mobile data and new interface standards for video services to encourage wider broadband use and adoption. A recap of the meeting, including other items the addressed by the FCC, is available on the FCC’s broadband blog. Benton Foundation provides links to complete coverage of the meeting.

Broadband Team Executive Director Blair Levin, making his final appearance before the FCC prior to  joining the Aspen Institute as a Communications and Society Fellow, had these parting words for the commissioners: “The value of this plan should be judged by what comes of it. You have a Plan. Now is your time to act.” (The Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program has served as the institutional home of the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy.)