Congress directed the FCC to develop a National Broadband Plan early last year. This would ensure that every American "has access to broadband capability." Congress further stipulated that the plan include a detailed strategy for how this goal would be achieved affordably and with maximum efficiency.
The four points outlined in the plan are:
Design policies to ensure competition
Ensure efficiency in asset management and allocations
Reform current deployment services in high-cost areas
Reform policies to maximize the benefits of broadband when used in public sectors like education, health care and government.
If you're interested in the entire overview, be sure to take a look at the plan. It will be interesting to see the Congressional response to this plan.
While there are lots of calls for government regulations to ensure fair pricing and service speeds, the bulk of infrastructure development and roll-out costs are assumed to be provided by the private sector. How these two areas can be reconciled will likely be one of central issues in actually implementing any National Broadband Plan.
What do you think of what the FCC is proposing? Let us know!