FCC Chairman Urges Industry To Volunteer Low-Cost Broadband

Praises new bill to create pilot program, hopes for industry to take initiative

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/16/2009 12:43:05 PM

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski Wednesday called on ISPs to come up with a low-cost basic broadband offering to help drive adoption by low-income households.

At the FCC's broadband update Wednesday, the chairman praised a new bill that would create a pilot program for low-cost broadband access, but said it would be a "great" next step forward if the industry would come up with that low-cost service, calling it one of the ways that private industry "can step up to the plate on adoption."

He also praised the cable industry's Adoption-Plus public-private partnership, which is a two-year proposal to provide such low-cost service to households with middle school kids.

Genachowski urged others to follow cable's lead.