As Broadband Landscape Changes, FCC Wants To Work With NATOA on Keeping Up, Sohn Says
The broadband landscape is changing for local governments, said Gigi Sohn, counselor to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, during the NATOA conference in San Diego Wednesday. The FCC is making its own changes to reflect changing conditions, she said, according to…
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prepared remarks. Sohn cited pre-emption of restrictions on municipal broadband in Tennessee and North Carolina, the Connect America Fund Phase II commitment to pay $1.5 billion annually over the next six years, and the modernization of the Lifeline program as ways the FCC is making changes to keep up. During this change, the FCC wants to work with NATOA to remove barriers to broadband deployment, spur competition and ensure access for all, Sohn said. She said the future isn't in cable, but rather in broadband, which is good for citizens because it facilitates education, healthcare, economic empowerment, good government and civic participation. Rather than wait for incumbent ISPs to build the network cities want and need, Sohn said NATOA members can take control of their own broadband futures. This new model for local governments looks to benefit their citizens through externalities, not direct revenue, she said.