Press Release: NATOA Applauds FCC’s National Broadband Plan
Today the FCC publicly
released the National Broadband Plan as directed by Congress through the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. While NATOA is still in the process
of reviewing the full plan and while we do have some issues with some
claims made in the plan, generally our initial impressions are favorable and we
applaud the FCC for its hard work in the development of the Plan. NATOA
and the local governments it represents intend to work with the FCC to ensure
that the Plan’s proposals and recommendations result in the
“NATOA has long called for
increased national planning for more, better broadband, and we are pleased to
see this day come when the nation has a direction forward. Local
governments look forward to working in partnership with our federal, state, and
private sector counterparts in implementing our broadband future,” said NATOA
President Ken Fellman.
NATOA believes that the
National Broadband Plan is a significant step forward to universal broadband
access across the country. Local governments know as well as anyone that
high capacity broadband is critical to our communities including for economic
development, education, health care, civic engagement, emergency services, and
more. We believe that the more broadband availability will benefit our
citizens and our country and we support the FCC, the Administration, and
Congress in seeing the Plan through to completion.
NATOA Support for
Specific Elements of the Plan:
Coordinating Entity
to Support, Serve, and Facilitate Service to Anchors:
NATOA supports the FCC’s
recommendation s in 8.22 calling for the development of a
coordinating entity to organize, negotiate for, and serve community anchor
institutions throughout the country, at the local, regional, and national
levels. We are pleased that the FCC has recognized the importance of high
bandwidth service to all anchor institutions, including schools, libraries,
public health, public safety, and government facilities and that the FCC has
recognized that local government participation in the development, management,
and operation of the coordinating entity is essential.
Municipal Broadband
Networks:
NATOA supports the FCC’s
call in Recommendation 8:19 for the removal of state barriers to the
deployment of municipal broadband networks. Currently, 18 states have
laws that prevent local governments and their partners from meeting the
broadband needs of their communities. We agree with the FCC’s approach of
increasing competition in broadband networks regardless of who is deploying
them.
Rights-of-Way:
NATOA will support
the FCC’s proposal regarding public rights-of-way.
Se lf-interested commercial carriers put a tremendous amount of pressure
on the FCC to use the Plan as a vehicle for undermining local management of
rights-of-way and the setting of rights-of-way fees , but the
FCC listened to the calls of local government and public interest organizations
who urged them not to take such action. We agree with the FCC that the
development of an intergovernmental task force of federal, state, local, and
tribal officials to examine current rights-of-way practices and develop a best
practices guide is the proper way to examine the issue. Local
governments have always been mindful of the societal benefits of
broadband deployment, and we look forward to setting the record straight on
that issue. We also look forward to working with the FCC
to determine the specific contours of the task force so as to maximize its
effectiveness. NATOA believes the task force’s consideration of
rights-of-way access and compensation issues, and processes for resolving
disputes, must be consistent federal law, and we intend to work with the task
force to address these issues in this context. We trust that the FCC
will not prejudge the work of the task force by acting hastily on the pending
Level 3 petition before the task force has a chance to complete its duty.
Public Safety:
NATOA supports the
FCC’s Recommendation 16.1 calling for a national interoperable public
safety broadband network. It is far past time that such a network
exists. We are also pleased that the NBP recognizes that additional
resources beyond spectrum are needed to make such a network a
reality. NATOA and its members are prepared to work with the FCC to
examine the details of the proposal.
Transparency:
We applaud the FCC’s
decision to continue its data driven examination into the state of broadband
competition in the