The Pros and Cons of Obama's Broadband Plan

         
                                                    Courtesy of Timesoftheinternet.net

Almost two weeks ago, Obama announced his plan for a National Wireless service for the United States. Over the course of five years, 98% of Americans will receive broadband Internet services. According to The Wall Street Journal, Obama’s Internet plan would raise $27 billion over the span of ten years.

President Obama believes every corner of America should be connected. Obama feels this would improve distance education, encourage entrepreneurship and assist rural businesses. Even so, the plan will have to be approved by Congress. Congress is seeking to cut federal spending and his proposed plan will cost the government $18 billion. The Wall Street Journal quotes Republican Fred Upton (R., Mich.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, concerning this issue: “Before we target any more of our scarce taxpayer dollars for broadband, it is critical to examine whether the money already spent is having an impact. Let's ensure our resources are being used wisely.”In other words, the pros and cons of Obama’s National Wireless plan need to be discussed before moving forward.

In my opinion, Obama’s Internet plan exhibits positive qualities. The National Wireless plan will seek to improve national security, improve the quality of online educational programs and provide job opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs, small businesses and corporate companies. On the other hand, there are some drawbacks to this National Wireless service.

-The Broadband services involved in this plan must comply with the Federal Communications Commission (the government committee assisting Obama with this idea).

-According to Business Spectator, this proposed National Broadband service is not as fast as an FTTH network (Fiber To The Home network, similar to DSL). Thus, the quality of healthcare, education and/or entertainment services wouldn’t be as great.

-In addition, this Internet plan will require the cooperation of several broadband carriers. In order to stay on top of the competition of the new broadband carriers, current Broadband companies will increase the costs of their services.

-According to Verizon, 5% of the customers that consumer the most data over the Internet will be given the privilege of “throttling”.  This means that select wireless customers would have the ability to tamper with access to certain sites or services.

-Also, wireless carriers will have access to all legal websites and none of these sites can be blocked (even if some of these sites compete with the company’s offerings).

I believe this National Wireless plan has potential, but at the present time, the cons are outweighing the pros. In my opinion, Obama and the FCC will need to extremely refine this plan before it goes into affect. Yes, this plan has the potential to improve education, national security and boost the economy, but is it worth the price? Only time will tell.