Add this to your list of recent ironical* happenings. The FCC held an open meeting yesterday to discuss, among other things, a national broadband plan. I had every intention of following the meeting via the streaming feed on the FCC website, as I’ve attempted in the past. Unfortunately, badly pixelated video was followed by an unending 10-second audio loop and ultimately by a complete stream crash. When I tried to log back on, I got the message you see above. So much for “openness” and “broadband”.
On a more serious note, the FCC is opening the floor to public comment in an attempt to gain input on how broadband policy should play out over the coming years. The goal is to get more people connected, instill and/or maintain reasonable privacy measures, keep data secure, and ensure broadband openness to drive further innovation. As The Washington Post points out, one immediate problem is the fact that the FCC process may move too slowly to take advantage of much of the money in the broadband stimulus bill. Unfortunate that, but the government will attempt to make the best of the situation by funding projects to bring broadband to areas that clearly lack Internet service today.
Want to dig deeper on broadband policy? I recommend reading up over at BroadbandCensus.com. And, as always, if you’re looking for a highly skeptical (and highly informed) take on broadband industry doings, stay tuned to Broadband Reports.
*The use of “ironical” was intentional.
