FCC's New Broadband Plan Prioritizes Competition

adeelarshad82 writes "The Federal Communications Commission has released an outline of what might be included in its upcoming national broadband plan, and encouraging competition was a top priority. The FCC statement said 'Competition drives innovation and provides consumer choice. Finding ways to better use existing assets, including Universal Service, rights-of-way, spectrum, and others, will be essential to the success of the plan. The limited government funding that is available for broadband would be best used when leveraged with the private sector.' The stimulus plan provided $7.2 billion in broadband grants and $350 million for a broadband mapping program, but also directed the FCC to deliver a national broadband plan to Congress by February 17, 2010."

Comments

Right.

[bmo]

Didn't we do this in the 90's, throw a lot of money at the providers and all they did was give it out to the shareholders?

If we do this there had better be significant strings attached.

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BMO

Re:Right.

[RobinEggs]

Didn't we do this in the 90's? ... If we do this there had better be significant strings attached.

Right...give them more money but this time put *strings* on it.

How about the kind of strings where we send every board member and executive, of any of these companies at any time since we gave them the money *last time*, a notice that they can install what we've already paid for or face federal fraud charges?

Seriously, I'm not usually a litigious, pseudo-populist dickwad, but a lawsuit or some criminal charges seem completely reasonable here.

And for fuck sake don't give them *more* money, unless you're okay with literally *training them*, like suggestible little puppy dogs, to defraud taxpayers.

Re:Policies can only help competition so far

[Geoffrey.landis]

If the government truly wants to encourage competition, they would provide funding to under-performing companies and startups.

Wow. Give money to the companies that perform worst. You know, I'm sure that there's a flaw in that idea somewhere.

Re:Policies can only help competition so far

[Anonymous Coward]

If the government truly wants to encourage competition, they would provide funding to under-performing companies and startups.

Wow. Give money to the companies that perform worst. You know, I'm sure that there's a flaw in that idea somewhere.

There is. But that didn't stop the government from handing out free money to the banks did it?

Re:Policies can only help competition so far

[DJRumpy]

IMO, If they want to truly encourage competition, they need to separate content providers from access providers. That will free up access providers to do what they should be doing best. Competing for business at the lowest rate possible. It would also remove some of the political bullshit and insane antics that new entry's in the market have to go through just to be able to drop a single line.