New Internet push
The FCC unveiled a plan to increase high-speed Internet access.
Almost 90 percent of the U.S. would have high-speed Internet access by 2020, under a plan unveiled by the Federal Communications Commission. The agency said the National Broadband Plan would ensure that the U.S., where the Internet was invented, did not fall behind other countries with faster and cheaper Internet service. The goal is to give at least 100 million Americans Internet access that would be up to 25 times faster than the current standard.
The FCC proposes to reclaim part of the frequency spectrum now reserved for television signals and auction it off to companies selling wireless Internet access. The plan faces resistance from broadcasters, which want a share of auction proceeds.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.