Federal Communications Commission
Chairman Julius Genachowski expressed confidence that major U.S.
television broadcasters were open to the FCC’s plan to auction off
their spectrum contracts in exchange for a percentage of the profits, according to Reuters.
“We've certainly heard from a number of broadcasters who have told
us that this is a promising direction and (they) are getting ready to
roll up their sleeves with us," the news organization reported
Genachowski saying. "We've developed a plan that is a real win-win for
all involved. We've every expectation it will work."
The statement comes as the FCC readies its National Broadband Plan
for Congress this week, where the commission will set an agenda for
connecting all corners of the nation to a modern broadband
infrastructure. Entitled "Connecting America: The National Broadband
Plan," the FCC found that while broadband access and use have increased
over the past decade, the nation must do much more to connect all
individuals and the economy to broadband’s benefits. The Plan’s call
for action over the next decade includes connecting 100 million
households to affordable 100-megabits-per-second service.
For an analysis of the FCC broadband plan, please click here.
Other goals including bringing affordable broadband to rural
communities, schools, libraries, and vulnerable populations, promoting
competition across the broadband ecosystem through greater
transparency, and removing barriers to entry as well as conducting
market-based analysis with quality data on price, speed, and
availability.
Last week, the FCC launched two digital tools,
the Consumer Broadband Test and the Broadband Dead Zone Report, which
allow consumers to test their broadband service and report areas where
broadband is not available.
Internet service provider and communications giant Verizon released a
statement from Tom Tauke, the company’s executive vice president for
public affairs, policy and communications, expressing strong support
for the the deployment of broadband facilities and adoption by all
Americans.
“We are encouraged by the call to reform the policies that subsidize
some companies' telecommunications services so the policies are focused
on the technologies of the 21st century,” he said. “The plan also
properly focuses on identifying the barriers to swift deployment and
adoption and proposing recommendations to remove or overcome those
barriers.”
Tauke said Verizon would review the plan when text is available and
continue to work closely and cooperatively with the FCC and Congress to
help meet the nation's broadband policy goals.
"Chairman Genachowski; Blair Levin, the executive director of the
National Broadband Taskforce; and the commission staff should be
commended for comprehensively addressing the array of broadband issues
and developing a coherent plan,” he said. "Now comes the hard part:
achieving the vision articulated in this plan.”
Midmarket News & Reviews 
