FCC's broadband plan wins general praise

IDG News Service - The U.S. Federal Communication Commission's national broadband plan, released Tuesday, received generally positive reviews, with some groups calling the plan ambitious and necessary.

Other groups suggested the broadband plan would lead to more regulation of the Internet and huge new government programs. Many people and groups expressed general support, but reserved comment on some proposals until they could see more details.

Here is a sampling of statements about the broadband plan:

-- Rey Ramsey, president and CEO of trade group TechNet: "This roadmap for broadband can truly represent the 'north star' for future American innovation leadership. The flagship part of the plan according to reports will be setting a goal of having 100 million U.S. households with broadband at speeds of 100 megabits per second by 2020. Speed matters as it can help unleash a host of American ingenuity to create new businesses and industries.

"Simply put, wider adoption of broadband is one of the best fiscal stimulus policies we can make as a nation as new industries, companies and jobs are created as a result."

-- On the other hand, Ryan Radia, associate director of technology studies at the free-market Competitive Enterprise Institute, called the plan an "abomination" on a Twitter post Tuesday. The broadband plan will "vastly expand" the FCC's role in a number of industries, including health care and education, he said. Government-centric telecom efforts often are inefficient and wasteful, he said.

"These proposals endanger Internet freedom and threaten to further subjugate the broadband market to political manipulation," he said. "The national broadband plan proposes the creation of numerous new federal programs designed to bring America closer to 'universal' broadband access."

-- Intel called the plan "meaningful and ambitious."

"We believe in the transformative potential of widespread, high-quality, affordable broadband," said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini. "To lead in competitiveness, innovation and job creation in the 21st century, our country must plan ahead. This means investing in next-generation wireless and wireline infrastructure, increasing home broadband adoption, and enabling commercial spectrum to flow to uses that the market values most."

-- Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts: "The plan appears to reflect the emerging consensus on a number of paramount broadband goals, most notably the need to achieve universal adoption and digital literacy; the need to fix and redirect outdated subsidy schemes to more efficiently deliver broadband to unserved areas and to close the affordability gap for low-income families; and the need to break down policy barriers that keep broadband from serving critical national purposes such as health care, education, and employment.

"With the demand for bandwidth doubling every two years, most recognize the critical need for continued private investment in faster competitive broadband networks, and the importance of maintaining a regulatory environment to promote that investment. We hope that implementation of the many recommendations contained in the plan will help to achieve that critical balance ..."