The Federal Communications Commission launched a Twitter account and Blogband – a blog that will chronicle the progress and development of the National Broadband Plan. Said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, “We want it to be a two-way conversation. The feedback, ideas and discussions generated on this blog will be critical in developing the best possible National Broadband Plan”. Genachowski has until February 2010 to submit a plan for broadband deployment to Congress. Telecoms, net neutrality lobbyists, tech companies and regular citizens are tripping over themselves to weigh in.
Ever since the US found itself trailing behind a number of countries for internet access, federal regulators have been looking for ways to ante up. And according to a recent Leichtman Research Group report, this quarter’s net broadband additions were the fewest of any quarter in the last eight years. This is incredibly unfortunate as broadband-related benefits include increased access to education, health care, jobs, government agencies, disaster relief and of course, communications. The race to improve broadband and speed up rural service is going to take a ton of work and with millions affected, it’s not surprising how many citizens have already begun to comment.
If you think regular bloggers get trolled in their comments sections, the discussion on Blogband is likely to get heated. Comments will be moderated before being posted and any off-topic rants will appear on the Off Topic Comments page. While the page is currently empty, depending on the decisions made about fiber, ISPs and infrastructure, it’s likely to light up like a Christmas tree and read like The Best of Craigslist.
