The National Broadband Plan developed by the FCC was made public yesterday and subsequently delivered to Congress as mandated by the 2009 Recovery & Reinvestment Act. The FCC report established the ambitious goal of delivering broadband access to 100 million American homes currently without it, in addition to a section promoting cybersecurity initiatives and the protection of broadband infrastructure. The FCC claims that the plan will be revenue-neutral by “freeing 500 megahertz of spectrum, driv[ing] improvements in government efficiency” and stimulating private investment in an expanded broadband system.
Infosecurity notes that the broadband report submitted to Congress is primarily about establishing new priorities for the FCC’s Universal Service Fund, rather than a plea to policy makers for more money to enact its recommendations.
The National Broadband Plan, which harkens back to the New Deal’s rural electrification project, sets several lofty goals for delivering broadband access to remote corners of the US. It establishes a benchmark of 100 Mbits/s for download speed and 50 Mbits/s for upload speed in areas that do not have current access to broadband. It asserts that the US should be a world leader in mobile innovation, “with the fastest and most extensive wireless networks of any nation.” Additional goals include providing affordable broadband access to all households, and expanding affordable access to institutions such as schools, hospitals, goverment buildings, and the establishment of a nationwide wireless broadband network for public safety first responders.
The FCC would go on to warn that overall US competitiveness would suffer – from educational, commercial, and national security perspectives – if additional bandwidth was not made available in the near term.
Several cybersecurity recommendations were put forth in the report as well. The FCC’s plan contends that more investment in the nation’s broadband network is needed to facilitate responses to public safety issues, but also to protect the network by reducing threats to e-commerce and the Internet in general. The Commission suggests the creation of a cybersecurity roadmap that would articulate “a clear strategy for securing the vital communications networks upon which critical infrastructure and public safety communications rely.” The FCC establishes a timeline of 180 days from the release of the plan to develop a cybersecurity roadmap – in concert with the Executive Branch – that would create a two-year plan to address cyberscurity treats facing the US.
“The National Broadband Plan is a twenty-first century roadmap to spur economic growth and investment, create jobs, educate our children, protect our citizens, and engage in our democracy,” said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski in a statement after the report was released. “It’s an action plan, and action is necessary to meet the challenges of global competitiveness, and harness the power of broadband to help address so many vital national issues.”