MuniWireless

Harold Feld has written an article analyzing the FCC’s National Broadband Plan. Since he managed to get through the entire piece (unlike me), his take on the Plan is worth reading, especially because he disagrees with me on the issue of incumbent influence.

We do agree on one critical factor: he and I are appalled that structural separation is not part of the Plan. Harold says:

No, I did not get all I want. No one ever does. On some issues, such…

The FCC has unveiled the National Broadband Plan whose goal is to ensure every American has access to broadband. The plan addresses broadband competition, reallocating spectrum for mobile broadband, reforming universal service regulations and nudging public schools, health care providers and government agencies to make maximum use of broadband. You can download the National Broadband Plan from the FCC website (PDF).

I read parts of the National Broadband Plan and was impressed by its ambition and scope, but after a few…

Broadband speed tests are nothing new to many readers of this site. Most of us probably use Speedtest.net. But the fact that the FCC has posted a broadband test tool profiled prominently on the Broadband.gov website, shows how politically sensitive broadband — its presence and absence, its cost and speed — has become. It’s getting to be like electricity. If you don’t have it, you might as well be living on another planet.

The FCC’s tool lets you measure download and upload…

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has awarded grants to fund broadband mapping and planning activities in Virginia and American Samoa under NTIA’s State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program. The program, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will increase broadband access and adoption through better data collection and broadband planning. The data will be displayed in NTIA’s national broadband map, a tool that will inform policymakers’ efforts and provide consumers with improved information…

The NTIA has provided an $80 million broadband stimulus grant to the Louisiana Broadband Alliance to help bridge the technological divide, boost economic growth, create jobs, and improve education and healthcare. The grant will bring high-speed Internet access to more than 80 community anchor institutions – including universities, K-12 schools, libraries, healthcare facilities – and lay the groundwork for bringing affordable broadband service to thousands of homes and businesses in the region.

The Louisiana Broadband Alliance, a collaboration among six state…