WASHINGTON — Existing high speed Internet connections may become even faster in the U.S., if a new broadband plan is adopted by Congress.
According to HuffingtonPost.com, a new broadband policy was unveiled recently by the Federal Communications Commission.
The plan sets the government’s broadband policy for the next decade and beyond. It argues that high speed Internet access is no longer just a luxury but is critical for economic development, education, health care and other aspects of daily life.
"Broadband is an infrastructure challenge that's very akin to what we've faced in the past with telephones and electricity," FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said.
In addition, the plan is “raising the portion of people with high speed Internet connections to 90 percent, from the current 65 percent, over the next decade” reports the Washington Post.
The proposal sets a goal of connecting 100 million U.S. households to broadband connections of 100 megabits per second by 2020, at least 20 times faster than most home connections now.
Although existing connections are often fast enough to let people watch TV shows or movies on computers, faster connections would open new kinds of services, such as fast-loading high definition videos ideal for viewing on big-screen TVs.
But the plan has to overcome various obstacles, such as finding corporate support. Several broadcasters oppose one key proposal that calls for reclaiming some airwaves from TV stations and auctioning those frequencies to companies that deliver wireless Internet access.