Up to 100 million US homes could get fixed-broadband upload speeds of 50Mbps under new plans from the FCC that are due to be unveiled today.
is due to present his plan to congress today, stipulating that US homes should have access to high-speed broadband of 100Mbps in the downlink, along with the super-fast uplink.
An executive summary of FCC chairman Julius Genachowski’s plan released yesterday indicates that the primary goal of the scheme - already known to pledge 100Mbps connections for 100 million homes - stipulates 50Mbps upload speeds for those homes.
Genachowski is due to present his plan to the US congress today, the FCC states.
The plan also calls for every American to ultimately have access to a 1Gbps broadband connection through “anchor institutions” such as schools, military bases and hospitals.
Genachowski has meanwhile set a target of boosting broadband adoption rates from 65% to 90%.
On the wireless side, the FCC proposes to make 500MHz of spectrum available for both licensed and unlicensed use.
One of the FCC's first acts under the plan would be to collect, analyze, and benchmark updated information on pricing and competition on a market by market basis, and then introduce new requirements for operators to advertise their real-world performance information.
The FCC has meanwhile suggested a variety of regulatory changes, including a review of wholesale competition rules, updated rules on wireless backhaul spectrum, more liberal rules for set top boxes, and clarification of rules enabling municipal broadband services.
To help support the adoption of communications services, the regulator intends to shift $15.5 billion (€11.3 billion) from the universal service fund to support the development of broadband and commit resources to bringing affordable broadband to rural communities and schools.
A mobility fund would meanwhile be created to ensure no state lags behind in terms of 3G coverage.
The FCC is also sticking with its proposal to license a block of spectrum to offer free or low-cost wireless broadband services.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt yesterday pledged his support for a national broadband strategy, calling for the installation of broadband fiber as part of every federal infrastructure project.
“As with the space race in the 1960s, America needs a national effort by our scientists, engineers, companies, educational institutions and government agencies. Just like that great national adventure, we need near-term and long-term goals,” he said.