Hill supports FCC's request for month-long delay in national broadband plan

Some key lawmakers appear supportive of the Federal Communications Commission's request for a one-month extension for submitting a national broadband plan to Congress, CongressDaily reported on Thursday.

After strongly dismissing a prediction made by Senate Commerce Chairman John (Jay) Rockefeller, D-W.V., in November that the Feb. 17 statutory deadline would slip, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski formally asked lawmakers on Thursday for extra time to complete the blueprint.

"Apparently the volume of public comments submitted to the commission will require a longer period for review that the original schedule for formulating the national broadband plan permitted," House Energy and Commerce Communications Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher, D-Va., said in a written response.

Top leaders on the Senate Commerce Committee favor the extension if it means the plan will be stronger. "Chairman Genachowski has indicated that a short delay is necessary to qualitatively improve the plan. I support his efforts," Rockefeller said in a statement.

And Senate Commerce ranking member Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, "is supportive of the delay as long as it results in a substantive and quality product," a spokesman said.

But Republican FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell said he would prefer that "the agency to be able to meet its statutory deadlines, and apparently the agency will not be able to do so in this case. That is disappointing."

The agency's other GOP member, Meredith Baker, said in a statement that she hopes the "extra time, while not ideal, will result in a thorough and actionable plan."

Some industry and public interest groups echoed Baker's comments. "If one more month means that the national broadband plan will be of the best possible quality and a real blueprint for how we address the nation's true broadband priorities -- getting broadband everywhere and getting everyone possible on broadband -- then it's worth the wait," Comcast Senior Vice President Joe Waz said in a blog post.