Tuesday, January 26, 2010
March 17th is the deadline for the FCC to deliver what is being called a "national broadband plan" to congress. Following the Recovery Act in 2009, funding (and awareness over the need) was made available for ramping up broadband infrastructure in the U.S. as part of an overall plan to bolster our economy and remain competitive nationally. By the urging of this blog and countless other activists in the broadband community, the FCC has received no shortage of input on the broadband plan.

Last Friday, another big player joined the mix. The Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) filed it's comments with the FCC. What did they have to say? According to their own report to WISPA members and constituents, their focus involved 6 major points:

1. Many rural communities do not yet have access to broadband (24 million households).

2. Without access to broadband, the best and brightest young people usually leave for bigger cities causing a “rural brain drain” that negatively affects rural economies.

3. WISPs who want to extend service to unserved and underserved rural communities need both better access to funding and better access to spectrum.

4. WISPA suggests several methods of improving WISP funding mechanisms, including the creation of a “Universal Broadband Fund”.

5. WISPA also suggests several methods of improving access to clean spectrum for WISPs. The availability of clean spectrum positions WISPs to benefit from more favorable funding options.

6. The FCC’s support and promotion of WISPA’s suggestions in the National Broadband Plan (including this filing) will help revitalize America’s economy.

Not surprisingly, the focus remains on rural broadband access as well as continued talk over the spectrums available to wireless broadband. Whatever the outcome, the most important matter, however, is that the FCC receives enough support and public outcry to make sure that on March 17th, congress indeed sees the great need for change. You can provide your own feedback at www.broadband.gov.

Labels: Broadband Plan, FCC, Fixed Wireless Broadband, Rural Broadband, WISPA

posted by Nick Carter at 3:46 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Over the past year, the issue of the FCC's broadband plan has come up over and over on this blog. One of the most important topics, of course, is the charge to tell the FCC your thoughts on Fixed Wireless Broadband. Well, guess what! They listened.

Tony Bradley of PC World reported just a few weeks ago: FCC Urged to Expand Wireless Broadband Access. Urged how? Via the very request for your input that we shared months back. The FCC has sought input via formal submission, as well as via social media, blogs, etc. The Government, it would appear, is listening to the people.

As Bradley's article notes, however, one of the overwhelming proposals on the table has to do with the availability of spectrum. In April of last year, we reported on Verizon's buy-up of a huge chunk of the 700mz spectrum. But that brings up two dilemmas: do we want only one company dominating the FCC licenses, and even so, is this spectrum enough?

If fixed wireless broadband is indeed the technology that can make broadband ubiquity a reality in the U.S., then shouldn't we have more spectrum devoted to it? That's what some critics are suggesting. However, the Department of Justice is not so quick to meddle where existing media markets are already succeeding. The switch to digital television, after all, went SOOO smoothly, we certainly don't want to endure such a switch-a-roo again.

The lines haven't closed. Your voice can still be heard. Let the FCC know your thoughts on Fixed Wireless Broadband.

Labels: Broadband Plan, FCC, Fixed Wireless Broadband, Stimulus, Verizon

posted by Nick Carter at 7:11 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Tuesday, December 1, 2009
As we have discussed several times on this blog, the FCC is drafting a National Broadband Plan which will lay out ways the government can improve broadband service in the U.S. The plan is scheduled to come out in February, allowing plenty of time for feedback on the issue. And, it warrants mentioning that there are no certainties as to how many of its suggestions will ultimately be adopted.

But, there are other measures--policy measures which the FCC does not require congressional approval to make--that are already being put in place. It would appear that the FCC is wasting no time in getting us caught up with global broadband standards. Examples include educating the consumer on wireless broadband, freeing up air-waves for wireless broadband use, and most recently: making it easier to get towers in the air.

Amy Schatz of the Wall Street Journal reported that:

"Of the 3,300 applications for new towers or to put a new antenna up on an existing tower, more than 700 have been pending for more than a year..."

That means communication companies like Verizon and AT&T who want to add more coverage are stalled by local and state government bureaucracy. Before any new tower is erected, or even a new antenna is placed on an existing tower, approval must be sought from the local authorities. When those applications are delayed, the expansion of fixed wireless broadband in our communities is slowed.

Under the new policies handed down by the FCC, local agencies will have only 90 days to review and respond to new antenna applications, and 150 days where a new tower is requested. If the agency fails to respond in that time frame, then the wireless carriers can seek a decision from federal courts.

If you've got an idea for how wireless broadband can be expedited across our nation, let your voice be heard. Download the FCC's public notice and follow the instructions found there.

Labels: ATT, Broadband Plan, FCC, Fixed Wireless Broadband, Verizon, wireless carriers

posted by Nick Carter at 7:19 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Tuesday, September 15, 2009
It would seem that the social-media savvy of our commander and chief is beginning to trickle down the government bureaucracies. Last week, the FCC jumped into social media with both feet as they seek to engage the public on issues regarding the nation's broadband coverage. And, this is no sterile so-called blog hosted on a government server. I half expected to see nothing more than a news feed with comments disabled, but instead found a web 2.0 blog design with comments enabled.

It gets even better. Broadband.Gov is turning, just as web 2.0 demands, to 3rd party social media venues as well. Their public feedback mechanism is powered by IdeaScale and allows the populus to vote and comment on what we feel should be the top priorities of any federal broadband plan. Go ahead, weigh in on the FCC's broadband plan... you can even add your own topics ad-hoc!

And, of course, no social media reach would be complete without a presence on Twitter and Facebook. The FCC has managed to secure a 3-character twitter user name "FCC"--which certainly required some cooperation from Biz Stone and the crew. Likewise, the FCC's Facebook page can be found at www.facebook.com/FCC.

So, what is all this buzz about. Well, to learn more about the Broadband Plan, I would direct you to (where else) the social-media video site, YouTube, where the FCC's own YouTube channel has been created.

In all seriousness, however, I want to first of all applaud the FCC for such a monumental step. To see a bureau of the Federal Government moving so enthusiastically into the realm of social media is a much greater advancement than many might realize. Second, I want to encourage readers to take this opportunity. Our leaders are reaching out. They're listening. So, be heard.

Labels: Broadband Plan, FCC, Federal Communications Commission, Social Media, Stimulus

posted by Nick Carter at 5:12 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments