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FCC to Begin Broadband Stimulus Hearings Tomorrow

Posted 04/07/09 at 06:06:18 PM  by Andy Salisbury

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Love it or hate it, there’s no looking over the big possibilities that the stimulus package holds for the future of our nation’s broadband infrastructure – and starting tomorrow the folks at the FCC are going to start discussing just how they’re doing to divvy the cash up.

With $7.2 billion of the total $787 billion allocated from the package, the FCC will begin looking for ways to outfit those living in rural areas with access to high speed Internet. They’ll also start looking at ways to improve the speeds of existing broadband infrastructure.

This is quite the undertaking, no doubt about it! Good thing they’ve got until next February.

 

Image Credit: FCC

COMMENTS:8
TAGS: broadband, fcc, infrastructure, Stimulus
COMMENTS
avatarLeft Cox for Fios

Submitted by Sonickid101 on Wed, 04/08/2009 - 6:37am

Haven't regretted it since 20 down and 5 up never had to deal with comcast but we're still 80 MBps from where we should be and our upload to download speed ratio is attrocious.

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avatarHow do you like Fios? Do you

Submitted by Geeksquadmyss on Wed, 04/08/2009 - 6:43am

How do you like Fios? Do you just get internet from them?  Ive been thinking of switching from comcast, there customer service is useless and once and a while the internet will go out in my neighborhood? i mean WTF its not like i live in the middle of no wear either 

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avatarAustralia's A$43 billion broadband project: up to 100Mbps in 90%

Submitted by jlh304 on Wed, 04/08/2009 - 4:50am

In what he's calling "the single biggest infrastructure decision" in the country's history," Australia Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's announced an A$43 billion (US $30.6 billion) project to create a nationwide high speed broadband network. The goal's to get 90 percent of homes and business up to 100Mbps speeds with fiber optic connection, with a less impressive 12Mbps wireless / satellite for the rest. Up to 49 percent of the funds will be from the private sector; the government will initially invest A$4.7b, while A$20b will come from a national infrastructure fund and the sale of bonds. The venture's expected to take seven to eight years, and Rudd said the government intends to sell off its stake after five years. Sure, it's not 1Gbps by 2012, but hey, they might end up beating us at the "nationwide broadband" game.

 Looks like Australia going to beat us to the punch.

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avatarI was thinking, maybe a

Submitted by AndyYankee17 on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 3:33pm

I was thinking, maybe a federally regulated monoply like bell labs used to have? make level 3 the only ISP but regulate the price and require them to give 100 MB everywhere within a certain amount of time. Sounds impossible but the same thing happened with the phone company

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avatarThat is a great idea! AND NO

Submitted by vistageek on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 6:47pm

That is a great idea!

AND NO BANDWISTH CAPS!!!

Other countries have amazing connections and we are stuck with this comcast crap.

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avatarYeah

Submitted by DBsantos77 on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 10:11pm

I'm all for no bandwidth caps especially with the way technology is evolving, but you have to remember one thing. Accessibility. People in Japan for example have the highest speeds, but that's because they don't have the same amount of people or land, as the U.S. But still, the infrastructure needs to be revamped. Oh, and I dumped Comcast months ago. I'm with Qwest for a 6 meg down. And yes I get a full 6000 Kbps, for 40 a month, with no limit. *UCK YOU COMCAST.
  

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avatarAh, another realist :D

Submitted by mesiah on Thu, 04/09/2009 - 1:30am

Finally someone else who notices ^^ Everyone is so quick to point out japans ISP speeds. But their entire country is a 1/3 the size of texas and only 25% of it is habitable region. Countrys like japan and south korea doing an infrastructure upgrade is about as big of an undertaking as rewiring california.

I'm not one for government handouts, but I do hope this spurs new groth in the isp market. But this is the government were talking about, it will probably be as horribly handled as the DTV transition.

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avatarI agree no bandwidth caps,

Submitted by subzero on Wed, 04/08/2009 - 3:46pm

I agree no bandwidth caps, especially if they're going to offer higher speeds. The thing about the caps is if you download alot of movie via netflicks, ect..  then you really have to monitor your usage.

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