FCC now on Twitter, blogs about National Broadband Plan

August 19, 2009

The Federal Communications Commission has joined the Twitter revolution, using the micro-blogging service to send out messages about its progress toward creating a National Broadband Plan to expand broadband access to every American.

Showing its grasp of web 2.0 technologies, FCC also launched a blog on the broadband.gov website called Blogband. If it makes the somewhat dry discussion around broadband policy more relevant to consumers, it should probably be called a success.

The National Broadband Plan is a roadmap for making access to broadband part of a larger stimulus to the economy and making government more responsive and accountable to citizens. Initiated as part of the recovery act, FCC is charged with submitting a plan to Congress by February 17, 2010.

FCC has been holding a series of workshops this summer to lay out the policy implications of a range of issues, including the technological realities of today and how future technologies can be used to benefit business, consumers and the government.

At Wednesday's workshops, which were broadcast live over the internet, policy and industry experts were scheduled to discuss the nitty-gritty of collecting data on broadband internet access.

CTIA, the wireless association representing companies like AT&T and Verizon Wireless, cited research showing that 90 percent of U.S. homes have broadband access.

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