FCC chews on smorgasbord of broadband plans

Will the nation that introduced Americans to Abba, Ingrid Bergman, Bjorn Borg, Ikea, Saab and Volvo serve as the model for U.S. technology policy over the next century?

Federal regulators are casting a wide net in an effort to craft a national broadband plan that includes a serious look at the accomplishments of Sweden and more than 30 other countries from Australia to the United Kingdom. The plan, mandated in the economic stimulus package, must be presented to Congress by Feb. 17.

The FCC's decision to study and perhaps replicate policies adopted overseas appears to be a tacit acknowledgement that when it comes to wiring citizens with fast Internet service, the United States has fallen behind much of the developed world.

But an FCC workshop today on international lessons to be learned highlighted the difficulties the commission will face in trying to mimic successes elsewhere.

"It's very hard to draw lessons because there are so many factors unique to different countries," explained Robert Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. "In essence, one size doesn't fit all," he said, noting that variables such as geography and population make comparisons difficult.

A presentation by Young Kyu Noh, communications counselor for the Korean embassy, underscored just how much ground the United States would have to make up to match where South Korea is today.

South Korea completed its broadband plan in 2002, wiring the nation with connections that far outpace the speeds commonly found in the United States. More than 90 percent of households subscribe to the service, provided free of charge to all public schools.

Sweden drew praise during the session for using subsidies as incentives for the rollout of broadband, particularly in rural areas, while a representative of British Telecom touted an ambitious U.K. plan, to be funded in part by a new tax, that calls for nationwide broadband access by 2012 and a higher-speed network in place by 2017.

The idea of closely examining the experiences of other nations emerged publicly when Susan Crawford, special assistant to the president for science, technology and innovation policy, said in April that she's "personally intrigued" by Australia's goal of spending billions of dollars on a state-of-the-art, nationwide broadband system.

In the inaugural posting today on the FCC's broadband blog, Blair Levin, the agency official tasked with overseeing the broadband strategy, provided some hints about the commission's direction.

"Gathering data will be key to developing a solid plan," he wrote. "But data means nothing if we don't exercise good judgment about what it all means," he added, expressing confidence that his team will "cut to the chase" with recommendations to Congress for "universal, robust" broadband.

And there was this hint of things to come: "Expect the unexpected."