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back to article FCC talks National Broadband

The FCC reckons that the private sector can't be trusted with public safety and that TV companies should sell off some spectrum to ensure broadband for all. It's just over two weeks until the FCC presents its National Broadband Plan (March 16th), but already, the regulator has started slipping out details of the plan, …

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  1. Tom Visser
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    Thanks

    Good article. Thanks

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  2. Captain Save-a-ho
    Big Brother

    National Public Safety?

    Aren't all US radio and TV stations already required to have this capability today, activcated as the National Emergency Broadcasting System? There's nothing "public" or "safe" about this new proposal, other than a huge waste of tax money and yet another way for the government to create control.

    It's astounding to me the levels of utter redundancy that exists in local, state/provincial, and national governments.

    Never good when your government makes Apple look benevolent.

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  3. Malcom Ryder 1

    Public safety

    TV and radio are already required to broadcast emergency warnings, and indeed if you are experiencing bad weather, isn't the first thing you'd do is turn on the TV? A system that works, that costs the government very little, that makes sense, is going to be replaced with an expensive one so you can get tornado warnings on your iphone. This FCC guy is clearly in the pockets of the telcos.

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  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Truer words were never spoken

    "The private sector simply is not going to build a nationwide, state-of-the-art, interoperable broadband network for public safety on its own dime," points out the good Mr. Genachowski.

    After all, AT&T did this not to long ago:

    http://www.intomobile.com/2009/12/30/att-petitions-fcc-to-abandon-landline-phone-connections.html

    Of course AT&T is doing this already with their DSL services, regardless on any FCC ruling. If your landline can't support 768kbps, there is a good chance you will now be denied service.

    Up until recently AT&T supported 2 slower speeds, namely 224 and 384kbps, but if you start having troubles with your landline, you should immediately start looking for another service provider.

    When is the Register going to add a picture of AT&T's CEO Randall Stephenson to it's rogues gallery right next to Bill Gates and Steve Jobs? While continuing to lay off workers, AT&T CEO's pay jumped 35% to $20.3 million in 2009‎...

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