Monday, Apr 21, 2008    Text size: 

Introduced by Rep. Anna G. Eshoo, D-Calif., the Wireless Internet Nationwide for Families Act would require the FCC to auction off a section of the broadcast spectrum. The winner of the auction would have to use the spectrum as the platform for a porn-free Internet alternative.

Eshoo said that she proposed the legislation in response to a recent spectrum auction that saw media giants AT&T and Verizon walk away with huge sections of the airwaves.

"The cost of broadband service is a barrier for too many families who want broadband, with more than 100 million Americans without broadband at home," Eshoo said. "The results of the [recent] auction disappointed many of us who hoped that a new entrant would emerge."

Online guru Brandon Shalton told XBIZ he liked the sound of Eshoo's plan.

"Sure, it's a great idea to provide access to the Internet for those that can't afford it," said Shalton, who founded the traffic analysis service T3Report.com. "Computers are getting cheaper every day. More families can afford one, and with this new plan, they wouldn't have to pay a monthly fee. Blocking porn isn't a big deal, but it would still be a challenge for network providers to block it, as website operators and surfers will surely fiind each other anyways."

Eshoo's proposal already has support from one Internet company: M2Z Networks, which proposed a porn-free Internet alternative to the FCC in 2006. The FCC turned them down.

According to M2Z, a free, nationwide Internet alternative would save consumers between $18 billion and $32.4 billion per year.

The section of the spectrum to be auctioned is 2155-2175 Mhz.