US announces National Broadband Plan

Website: Rapid TV News

The FCC in the US is creating a National Broadband Plan which will over time see broadband speeds “for all” reach 100Mbps.

The scheme was presented to Congress March 16, and if approved will boost delivery speeds and cut access costs for users.

“It is a 21st Century roadmap,” said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.

“The plan calls for $20bn to be invested, although is already facing criticism from the satellite industry (which says it can do the job for a fraction of the price), as well as some congressional members who say the nation doesn’t need such high bitrates “for a few gamers”.

The FCC says the USA ranks as 15th in the world for broadband adoption, and threatens the overall competitiveness of the USA.

Only about 65% of American homes have any access to broadband (and in some cases this means a thin stream).

This means around 86 million Americans have not bothered to get hooked up, either because of the costs, or they do not see a need.

The new FCC plan says it wants to connect 100m homes to affordable broadband, permitting HD video-conferencing and home-based medical diagnostics.