Will The FCC Provide Us With Free Broadband?
The current FCC chairman has been trying to get free broadband moving before the end of his term. But there are powers in Congress that have blocked his endeavor. So will we the public ever get free broadband some day down the road?
I believe that we may just eventually have a good chance of getting it approved. With a dominate Democratic Congress coming into power, they should be able to circumvent the Replicans who oppose the free broadband plan. I also believe that the new President elect may also approve of a free broadband system.
According to the article over at Ars Technica, it states that:
Martin wanted the FCC to vote on this issue at an Open Commission meeting scheduled for December 18 but then bowed to Congressional calls for its cancellation. The FCC is scheduled to meet via audio conference on Tuesday, but there are no agenda items attached to the event. That will be Republican Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate’s last meeting.
“Tate was one of the Commissioners who I thought was most likely to be supportive of the filtering concept,” said Martin. “She’s been very involved in children’s issues and I think that she had spoken favorably in the past of this idea of the filter for children.”
The filter concept is history now. As for the revised proposal, the agency is scheduling another Open Commission meeting for January 15. That may very well be Kevin Martin’s final formal FCC appearance, and we have no word yet on what dockets will come up during the meeting.
“Typically in January all the Commission does is do reports on the status of the industry,” Martin said. “That’s what we’ve done for the last few years, saying ‘Here’s what the Commission has been trying to achieve. Here’s where we are’.”
But the Commissioners could give the go-ahead to the re-smuttified free broadband plan at any time—assuming Martin gets at least two more votes for his new proposal, and gets them quick.
What do you think? Is free broadband in our future?
Comments welcome.
10 Comments
Ron Schenone
December 30th, 2008
at 1:53pm
Test
the oracle
December 30th, 2008
at 4:16pm
Martin and his compatriots have riled the wrong people. They have also forgotten what the core purpose of the FCC is, and decided that they would ‘remake’ the positions they held.
Because they weren’t taking care of business, they will get no help from anyone currently in Congress, on either side. I am doubtful that anything will be accomplished until new people at the FCC get up to speed, and sort out the upcoming DTV mess, which is sure to keep them busy for at least a quarter.
Barack Obama publicly stated he would support the free access to the internet, but I’m not sure the white spaces is the way to do it. By the reckoning I have seen, much of the country would get on at speeds approaching dial-up. That would be a great disappointment for most.
Tommy
December 31st, 2008
at 5:46am
Who will pay for it?Nothing is free.And who will run it?Update and keep it secure and running?Will it be wireless?If so,where will wireless hubs be?Will it be dependable?Good questions.I say if the thoughts are even there.Suppliers of broadband need to drop the cost as of now.They wont lose money.Specially with the demand for DTV etc..If these companies keeps the price of cable,sattalite etc. up they will lose business.Many talking about returning to the old days of dialup and using a DTV box for TV.
Daniel Melton
December 31st, 2008
at 8:02am
“Free” broadband will be worth exactly what you pay for it. Look at other examples of the value of “free” government services such as education….
leftystrat
December 31st, 2008
at 10:25am
Just a small bit of clarification, if I may. There is no such thing as `free’ broadband. It’s public spectrum. It belongs to the people. We have given up our responsibility to see that it is managed well; it has fallen victim to politics. Yet once again, we demand our `rights’ without any of the responsibilities.
The idea that any publicly available broadband be censored is completely against what our Founding Fathers conceived. For Kevin Martin to lay the blame at the feet of a republican commissioner is disingenuous. It happened on HIS watch.
Referring to censorship as `filtering’ is another ugly part of the ruse. Speaking of it as being `for children’ is more nonsense. The internet is for adults. It is the job of parents to monitor the activities of their children.
Tyler Plack
December 31st, 2008
at 11:22am
Very true. I wish the government would give us free broadband… but it better be fast! Nice post!
Den
January 1st, 2009
at 3:47am
I think that will Happin About the Same Time We Get some …… FREE . BAIL . OUT . Money……..
AND .. HAPPY – NEW – YEAR
Ron Schenone
January 1st, 2009
at 9:51am
Thanks for comments everyone. Our system here at LG is finally working again so it took awhile to get these comments approved.
I want to wish each of you a Happy New Year.
2009 should be interesting.
All the very best, Ron
James Camuso
January 1st, 2009
at 10:33am
It is about time the USA started to gather it’s citizens to a comprehensive goal that benefiets all. Other nations are so far ahead of us in technology and community that we are looked upon as backward.
As for childrens access to broadband internet… We have demonstrated that when teens get a tool to use for expression of angst or just to impress friends, they will exploit it with little regard to the consequences. When they have guns, they will shoot people and commit other violent acts. When you give them access to a world wide web of interconnected computers they will find a way to destroy that architecture or cause pain and suffering to others as a cheap diversion from their oh so miserable lives. After all, somebody else is always keeping them from getting rich and famous.
I believe we should have a true WEB2 that is purely for research and education while the commercial aspects of consumerism can be left to the original internet.
New Year’s Resolution - Don’t go a Day Without Cable | Chris Pirillo
January 3rd, 2009
at 1:02am
[...] Will the FCC provide us with free broadband? [...]