…the commission’s recommendations will include a subsidy for Internet providers to wire rural parts of the country now without access, a controversial auction of some broadcast spectrum to free up space for wireless devices, and the development of a new universal set-top box that connects to the Internet and cable service.

via Vast F.C.C. Plan Would Bring Net to More in U.S. – NYTimes.com.

This is the bill that will outline how “net neutrality” and other issues play out for years to come. It includes plans to sell TV spectrum for mobile use, a shift that reflects how consumers are using these devices.

The U.S. has been lagging behind most other technologically modern nations in broadband speed and penetration. Where So. Korea built high speed WiFi as part of its critical infrastructure, and makes it available to everyone as a strategic resource, in the U.S. about 1 in 3 people can’t afford access.

A recent Pew study found that globally, 1 in 4 people think that internet access is a basic human right.

Key points in the new bill include: reforming the way the Universal Service Fund is distributed, away from providing telephone service to rural and poor people, to a focus on internet access in these areas.

When television spectra are auctioned off, the plan would also leave some unlicensed to provide a “sandbox”  for experiments with new devices and projects. I love the initiative to equip 100 million homes with internet at 100 MB/sec. Recall that the average household now gets their internet at about 3-4 MB/sec.

The NYTimes says the report calls for a , “digital literacy corps” to help unwired Americans learn online skills, and recommendations for $12 billion to $16 billion for a nationwide public safety network that would connect police, fire departments and other first responders.