[1st-mile-nm] effects of legislative bribery by the duopoly - slashdot / Ars Technica

[Dale Carstensen]

 <http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/07/10/1921214/FCC-Dodges-Pointed-Questions-O
n-US-Broadband-Plan>

Your Rights Online: FCC Dodges Pointed Questions On US
Broadband Plan on Saturday July 10, @03:55PM
   
   Posted by kdawson on Saturday July 10, @03:55PM
   from the but-thank-you-for-asking dept.
   government
   Ars covers a series of questions that US senators put to the FCC
   chairman following up on his appearance before the Commerce, Science
   and Transportation Committee in April. The headline question was a
   blunt one asked by octogenarian Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI): "The
   National Broadband Plan (NBP) proposes a goal of having 100 million
   homes subscribed at 100Mbps by 2020, while the leading nations already
   have 100Mbps fiber-based services at costs of $30 to $40 per month and
   beginning rollout of 1Gbps residential services, which the FCC suggests
   is required only for a single anchor institution in each community by
   2020. This appears to suggest that the US should accept a 10- to
   12-year lag behind the leading nations. What is the FCC's rationale for
   a vision that appears to be firmly rooted in the second tier of
   countries?" In the FCC's formal response (PDF), Chairman Genachowski
   doesn't rise to the "second tier" bait, and in fact talks about
   "ensuring that America remains a broadband world leader," as if he
   believes we currently are. A blogger over at Balloon Juice is a little 
   more forthright on the "What is the FCC's rationale" question: "The
   rationale is that this is the best they can do with a legislative
   branch in the pocket of telecom providers."
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