Broadband Plan to be Specific, Reassessment Needed, FCC Chief of Staff Says

There will be specific recommendations for all elements of the Universal Service Fund in the plan, Lazarus said. The FCC is coordinating closely with its counterparts and communicating with the Congress on USF issues, he said. It’s a strategic plan that will have to be followed by rulemakings, he said. Revamping USF isn’t easy, he said, calling it a “very complicated program.” Meanwhile, predicting the future is too difficult and that’s why benchmarking and reassessment also need to be established, he said.

Lagging in broadband adoption, the U.S. is missing opportunities in areas like jobs, education, business and academic improvements, Lazarus said. Ambitious yet realistic goals need to be set, he said. That means things like network upgrades, better broadband adoption and access and “ultra high-speed” services to ensure an infrastructure that hosts “the boldest experience,” he said. The U.S. needs to lead the world in mobile communications, he said, calling broadband the future of mobile and mobile the future of broadband. The digital divide has become an opportunity divide, he said, saying the foremost role of the government must be to enable, empower and accelerate private investment and innovation. The use of government resources has to be simpler, easier and at low cost, he said. Government can also play an important role in standardization and interoperability, he said, also calling for more competition and greater transparency. The government should keep up with the private sector, taking advantage of broadband technologies, he said.

There could be budget constraints on the National Broadband Plan, said ITIF President Robert Atkinson, underlining the need for low-cost solutions. One way is for the government to “embrace the digital culture,” said Kathy Brown, a Verizon senior vice president, saying governments at all levels should adopt technologies available today. She also urged standardization and interoperability. A special access revamp wouldn’t be costly, said Joel Kelsey, policy analyst with Consumers Union, also proposing better spectrum allocation and unlocking more spectrum. CTIA Policy Director David Redl called for lowering barriers to private investment. USF revamp is needed to bring program costs under control, said Ross Lieberman, a vice president with American Cable Association. But the FCC should ensure that voice providers with 100,000 service lines or fewer not lose access to USF funding, he said.

Google backs building ultra high-speed broadband networks as testbeds in several communities across the country, said the company’s counsel Rick Whitt. Broadband is a key enabler of health care, Brown said, citing remote health monitoring technologies that improve the quality of health care while reducing the frequency of visits to the doctor’s office. Access to broadband isn’t just a rural problem; it’s an affordability problem, said Kelsey, underlining cost as a main barrier to adoption. He urged the FCC to set goals to increase competition, implement new broadband data and open network rules. There’s a good chance that wireless would be a big part of the National Broadband Plan, said Redl. ACA’s Lieberman emphasized that broadband support should be efficient and non-discriminatory, where one industry segment isn’t favored over another and one technology isn’t favored.