The FCC should “stay the course” with its National Broadband...
The FCC should “stay the course” with its National Broadband Plan, spend “significant effort … to open the broadband provider market to small businesses” and set standards on advertising broadband -- “including actual (not theoretical) upload and download speeds” --…
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a new Small Business Administration report recommended. The SBA’s Office of Advocacy’s long-awaited report on the broadband climate for small businesses said small businesses “are dissatisfied with the choices they currently have available.” Nearly half of rural businesses and more than one-third of urban businesses said their Internet speeds weren’t fast enough, the SBA said. The report was commissioned in 2008 by Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and John Kerry, D-Mass. In a joint release with Kerry, Snowe called Tuesday’s report “critical” and said it proves “that we simply must do more to make broadband accessible and affordable.” Kerry said the report illustrates the need to “implement the National Broadband Plan as quickly as possible.” Public Knowledge spokesman Art Brodsky called Tuesday’s report “a stunning indictment of the current state of the broadband market.” But USTelecom Vice President Patrick Brogan noted the report found up to 95 percent of small businesses were already using broadband -- without the benefit of the National Broadband Plan. And small rural carriers can’t support competitors in remote areas, which is what would be required under the broadband plan, said Jill Canfield, senior regulatory counsel for the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association. Satellite broadband offerings received a poor review in the report as too slow and expensive. Satisfaction for speed and cost among current satellite broadband subscribers was among the lowest of the technologies surveyed. Some of the conclusions on satellite broadband are based on “outdated” research, said Lisa Scalpone, WildBlue’s general counsel. For instance, the report said satellite broadband prices range from $60-$400 per month, even though WildBlue’s cheapest package starts at $40. The report appears to have relied solely on Hughes’ subscription information. The claim that prices have gone up is also mistaken, Scalpone said. She said the report ignores progress in the industry, including soon-to-launch satellites that offer major speed increases. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said he felt vindicated by Tuesday’s report, according to a spokesman. She said he feels that connecting small businesses to fast, affordable broadband will ensure that the jobs and industries of the future start in the U.S. -- and stay here.