FCC provides additional broadband plan details

The Federal Communications Commission late last week provided some additional details about the National Broadband Plan it is scheduled to deliver in mid-March. Several components should be of interest to service providers, including a plan to enable the construction and operation of an interoperable nationwide broadband wireless public safety network—an idea that was part of the 700 MHz spectrum auction in 2008 but did not garner sufficient commercial support.

That public safety network, the FCC said, would also be available on a lower priority basis to utilities to support smart grid initiatives. Team members working on the broadband plan said the FCC also would recommend investigating the “reliability and resiliency of commercial networks as part of a smart grid.”
Another component of the plan, the FCC said, will be to transition to next-generation 911 networks by “fully embracing broadband technologies.”

Team members working on the National Broadband Plan also said the plan will increase the flexibility and bandwidth of the E-rate program that helps fund Internet access for schools and libraries. The commission already took a step in that direction last week with an announcement that it would allow schools receiving E-rate funds to let the general public use Internet-connected computers outside of regular school hours.

Planners also said they would recommend several exploratory programs, including wireless connectivity and some competitive award funding for the E-rate program. They also recommend the government explore
greater use of cloud computing to reduce costs. In addition, they said federal buildings should serve as anchor tenants for unserved and underserved communities.

Proposed changes to the rural health care program that could impact service providers include subsidizing ongoing broadband costs, expanding the definition of eligible providers and tracking and publishing progress on broadband connectivity in health care facilities.

These additional details came just a few days after FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said the National Broadband Plan would set a goal of achieving 100 Mb/s usage by 100 million households and that it would include a “once-in-a-generation” revamp of the Universal Service program.