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<p class=MsoNormal>Hi <span style='color:#1F497D'>Listers</span>,<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal>Thought this was an interesting read....wasnt sure if we
have touched on this bit of regulation here yet (CCK).<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Pamela<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><em>By John Poirier and Sinead Carew </em><span class=fn><i>John
Poirier And Sinead Carew</i></span><em> </em>– Sun Mar 14,
8:34 pm ET<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><a
href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100315/tc_nm/us_usa_broadband">http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100315/tc_nm/us_usa_broadband</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. regulators will announce a major Internet policy
this week to revolutionize how Americans communicate and play, proposing a
dramatic increase in broadband speeds that could let people download a
high-definition film in minutes instead of hours.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>Dramatically increasing Internet speeds to 25 times the current average is
one of the myriad goals to be unveiled in the National Broadband Plan by the
the <span class=yshortcuts>Federal Communications Commission</span> on Tuesday.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>The highly anticipated plan will make a series of recommendations to
Congress and is aimed at spurring the ever-changing communications industry to
bring more and faster online services to Americans as they increasingly turn to
the Internet to communicate, pay monthly bills, make <span class=yshortcuts>travel
plans</span> and be entertained by movies and music.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>"This is a fairly unique event," said Paul Gallant, an analyst
with Concept Capital. "The <span class=yshortcuts>FCC</span> really has
never been asked to design a broad regulatory shift like this. Broadband is
important and difficult because it threatens every established communications
sector."<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>Some details of the plan have trickled out in the last few weeks including
how to find spectrum to meet an anticipated explosion of handset devices
capable of playing movies and music in addition to handling emails and voice
calls.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>But some carriers like <span class=yshortcuts>AT&T Inc</span> and <span
class=yshortcuts>Qwest Communications International Inc</span> were irked last
month when the agency's chief, Julius Genachowski, announced that the FCC would
propose in the plan a goal of 100 Mbps speeds to be in place at 100 million
American homes in 10 years. The current average is less than 4 Mbps.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>In a sign of tension between the FCC and carriers, Qwest called it "a
dream" and <span class=yshortcuts>AT&T</span> reacted by saying the
FCC should resist calls for "extreme forms of regulation."<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>Since the FCC announcement, Cisco Systems Inc announced it would introduce a
router that can handle Internet traffic up to 12 times faster than rival
products. <span class=yshortcuts>Google Inc</span> has also gotten in on the
hype, saying it plans to build a super-fast Internet network to show that it
can be done. The FCC has praised both announcements.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>The plans could also touch off tensions with television broadcasters, who
will be asked to give up spectrum to wireless carriers who desperately need it
for their mobile devices, such as the iPhone and Blackberry.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>The FCC plans to let them share in the profits of auctions structured to
redistribute the spectrum.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>"We've developed a plan that is a real win-win for everyone involved
and we have every expectation that it will work," Genachowski said in an
interview with Reuters.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>"We've certainly heard from a number of broadcasters who told us they
think this is a promising direction and are getting ready to roll up their
sleeves with us," he said.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>The FCC also wants to make sure that anchor institutions -- government buildings,
schools, libraries and healthcare facilities -- get speeds of about 1 gigabit
per second by 2020.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>The full broadband plan is expected to be released at a Tuesday meeting
among the FCC's five members who are expected to discuss the results and recommendations
of the roadmap, which was mandated by Congress. Congress may have to pass
legislation to enact some portions of the plan.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>FCC officials have said some of the goals are aspirational and should be
viewed as a "living, breathing" document for the next decade in hopes
of helping 93 million Americans without broadband get connected.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>ACHIEVABLE<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>"It is both aspiration and achievable," Genachowski said.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>The Obama administration has touted the plan as a way to create jobs and
make energy use more efficient. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p>"It will be a call to action," said Blair Levin, who heads the
FCC's broadband task force which has collected data and comments from the
industry, academics and the public as well as from three dozen public
workshops. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p>The FCC has placed most of its attention on broadband policy which Darrell
West, director of governance studies at the <span class=yshortcuts>Brookings
Institution</span>, called "the signature issue" since Genachowski
took over the helm in late June. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p>"It means that broadband is going to drive other types of policy decisions
and it really sets the parameters for telecommunications and new
applications," West said. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p>FCC officials have said that the plan will not take sides on technology or
applications, but they want to lay the groundwork to spur innovation and job
creation. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p>Officials have said the plan will ask Congress to fund up to $16 billion to
build an <span class=yshortcuts>emergency public safety</span> system. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p>It would also tell lawmakers that a one-time injection of $9 billion could
accelerate broadband reach to the 4 percent of Americans who do have access.
Otherwise they could let the FCC carry out a 10-year plan to realign an $8
billion U.S. subsidy program for universal broadband access instead of
universal phone access. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p>Experts call the plan ambitious but question if the FCC, which plans to spin
off a series of rule-making proposals linked to the plan, can realistically
make good on its recommendations. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p>"There's so little progress on this stuff in Washington," said Rob
Atkinson, who heads the <span class=yshortcuts>Information Technology and
Innovation Foundation</span>. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p>"I think Chairman Genachowski has a real opportunity to bring different
warring interests under 50-75 percent of the plan." <o:p></o:p></p>
<p>(Reporting by John Poirier and Sinead <span class=yshortcuts>Carew</span>,
editing by <span class=yshortcuts>Matthew Lewis</span>)<o:p></o:p></p>
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