Press Release
The National Broadband Plan, One Year Later
Contact: Timothy Karr, 201-533-8838
WASHINGTON -- March 16 marks the one-year anniversary of the National Broadband Plan, aimed at increasing access and adoption of broadband nationwide.
When the broadband plan was released, Chairman Genachowski said, “The costs of digital exclusion grow higher every day... millions and millions are being left behind [and] the status quo is not good enough for America.”
Yet while the FCC has issued numerous public notices posing questions about how to achieve the goals set forth in the plan, it has enacted very few changes to its policies and has deferred consideration of many of the proposals opposed by the largest broadband providers.
Free Press Research Director S. Derek Turner made the following statement:
"Despite all the fanfare surrounding the National Broadband Plan, so far the FCC has delivered no more than the status quo. Americans are no better off now than they were last year, and the future outlook is not promising. The market is becoming more concentrated; prices are creeping up; and the FCC has shown no signs that it has any interest in improving competition.
"Instead of working to give people more choice of broadband providers, the FCC continues to rubber-stamp merger after merger. And despite raising concerns about competition in the wireless broadband market, the FCC has failed to act on special access reform or impose data roaming obligations, despite broad public interest and industry support.
"The Commission's plan for bridging the digital divide for low-income households and communities is not serious, and all indications are that its efforts to reform the Universal Service Fund will simply perpetuate the current system's waste of our public resources.
"Until Chairman Genachowski shows that he is willing to fight for the public interest, America's broadband problems will only get worse."
When the broadband plan was released, Chairman Genachowski said, “The costs of digital exclusion grow higher every day... millions and millions are being left behind [and] the status quo is not good enough for America.”
Yet while the FCC has issued numerous public notices posing questions about how to achieve the goals set forth in the plan, it has enacted very few changes to its policies and has deferred consideration of many of the proposals opposed by the largest broadband providers.
Free Press Research Director S. Derek Turner made the following statement:
"Despite all the fanfare surrounding the National Broadband Plan, so far the FCC has delivered no more than the status quo. Americans are no better off now than they were last year, and the future outlook is not promising. The market is becoming more concentrated; prices are creeping up; and the FCC has shown no signs that it has any interest in improving competition.
"Instead of working to give people more choice of broadband providers, the FCC continues to rubber-stamp merger after merger. And despite raising concerns about competition in the wireless broadband market, the FCC has failed to act on special access reform or impose data roaming obligations, despite broad public interest and industry support.
"The Commission's plan for bridging the digital divide for low-income households and communities is not serious, and all indications are that its efforts to reform the Universal Service Fund will simply perpetuate the current system's waste of our public resources.
"Until Chairman Genachowski shows that he is willing to fight for the public interest, America's broadband problems will only get worse."
