Broadband for America Act of 2006 - Senator Gordon Smith

I caught the following on VoIPNews today

Senator Gordon Smith Presents his Broadband for America Act of 2006
Bill Aspires to Clear the Path for More Affordable Broadband Networks
Senator Gordon H. Smith (R-OR) addressed the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association's Legislative and Policy Conference earlier this week, and took the opportunity to present his Broadband for America Act of 2006. The Act is a streamlined piece of legislation that seeks to overhaul the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and offer a targeted address of four critical issues.

I immediately scurried off to grab a copy of the 17-page bill that's available here

Here are some excerpts. Any emphasis is mine.

Congress finds the following:
Access throughout the Nation to advanced telecommunications and information services, especially broadband communications services, is essential to secure the many benefits of our modern society.
Increased broadband network deployment benefits consumers and workers and will enhance economic growth and job creation, especially in rural America.
The deployment of broadband networks that can offer substantially higher capacity are critical to the long-term competitiveness of the United States.
The United States continues to fall behind in broadband deployment rates. According to a recent study by the International Telecommunications Union, the United States is now ranked 16th in the world in broadband deployment.
Congress can best achieve the goal of ubiquitous broadband communications services by lowering regulatory barriers and facilitating direct investment in broadband networks
The ability to offer consumers competitive video, voice, and data services, is the economic driver of recent decisions by communications companies to greatly increase investment in advanced wireline broadband networks.
Federal, State, and local policies regulating the offering of video services were developed in a different period. Laws, rules, and regulations that were once desirable now serve as barriers to competitive entry and disincentives to network investment.
With head-to-head competition in less than 2 percent of America's 33,000 cable communities, Congress should update the franchising process to promote competition in the video and broadband markets this year.
Cable rates continue to rise substantially faster than the overall rate of inflation.
It is only through wireline video competition that price competition exists. The Government Accountability Office has confirmed that where wire-based competition exists, cable rates are 15 percent lower than in markets without competition.
It is in the public interest to further wireline competition in the video services market in order to provide greater consumer choice and lower prices for video services.
The preservation and advancement of universal service is a fundamental goal of the Communications Act of 1934 and the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
As the Internet becomes a critical element of any economic and social growth, universal service should shift from sustaining voice grade infrastructure to promoting the development of broadband networks.
The current structure established by the Federal Communications Commission has placed the burden of universal service support on only a limited class of carriers, causing inequities in the system, incentives to avoid contribution, and a threat to the long-term sustainability of the universal service fund.
Unlicensed wireless broadband services have the potential to reach areas that otherwise are unlikely to attract investment in broadband infrastructure.
The deployment of unlicensed wireless broadband services must minimize interference with licensed incumbent local television stations and licensed devices operating in nearby spectrum bands.
The availability of unlicensed wireless radio spectrum will facilitate the development of wireless broadband services and allow for continued advancement and innovation, yielding benefits that are unimaginable today.
It is in the public interest to preserve the right of municipalities to offer broadband communications services to the public, especially in those communities unserved or underserved by non-public providers.

I honestly haven't had time to study the document in depth. I will in the next day or two. I just thought this was important to share.

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