Looks like the government is stepping into with plans to get the U.S. up to speed with other countries in terms of speed. The originator of the internet has largely fallen behind on broadband speeds and lowering pricing. The goal of the proposal is to connection 100 million households to 100 megabits per second (20 times faster than most home connections now, by 2020.
There are several hurdles that must be overcome for this plan to work. For one, the FCC must find corporate support and legal clearance in order to carry it out. Broadcasters oppose the plan because it calls for reclaiming some airwaves from TV stations and auctioning those frequencies to companies that deliver wireless internet connections. Funding the plan also has come into question, as there are no clear estimates on what it would cost to establish.
One way the FCC believes they can pay for it is by re-writing complicated telecommunications rules that will be re-directed to broadband service from where it is now used in poor, rural areas for telephone service. The Universal Service Fund funded through a surcharge that businesses and consumers pay on long-distance telephone service, has been dwindling for the past few years. That in itself, will result in an uphill battle if the FCC won its fight to use those funds.
Despite the challenges of this proposal, it would be great to see these things come into being. Existing connections allow U.S. users to watch T.V. shows, movies and play games online. Faster speeds will enable new services such as fast-loading, high-definition videos ideal for viewing on big-screen TVs. The FCC also says faster broadband would enable doctors to monitor patients over the Internet and broaden the opportunities for students to take classes online.
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