FCC Eliminating Barriers To Broadband
The Federal Communications Commission is moving forward in their effort to reduce the red tape and local government blocking of broadband implementation. On Wednesday the FCC launched an initiative to increase broadband deployment and eliminate these barriers.
The Broadband Acceleration Conference being held on Wednesday will bring together federal, state and local governments as well as industry stakeholders like broadband providers, utility companies and telecommunication providers. The FCC is seeking more information to report to Congress that will ultimately speed up deployment and also reduce cost.
The FCC has already been working toward this goal. In 2009, in their effort to speed up permitting of cell towers that too often were being blocked by local zoning authorities through basic indecision, the commission implemented the “shot clock” that put a 90-day time limit on permitting decisions.
On Tuesday the FCC recommended reforms to transition funding from a rural subsidy program to a new Connect America Fund that would help support the build out of broadband services to rural areas. According to the FCC, transferring $5 billion from the land line phone subsidy program to the Connect America Fund could indirectly create 75,000 jobs due to the implementation of Broadband and its effect on health care, education and small business.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski told Reuters on Tuesday “It has been estimated that removing red tape and expediting approval processes could unleash $11.5 billion in new broadband infrastructure investment over two years” adding, “unleashing spectrum for mobile broadband, transforming the universal service fund to support broadband and removing regulatory barriers are atop my agenda for speeding the deployment of broadband”.
Related posts:
