FCC to unveil plan for faster, cheaper broadband access

Despite the Internet’s genesis here in the U.S., Americans’ per capita access to broadband has lagged. In 2001, the U.S. ranked fourth in the world for citizens’ access online, but dropped to 15th in 2009, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The Federal Communication Commission will today unveil its first plan for national broadband access. Goal number one: to bring super-fast Internet access to the 100 million homes that don’t currently have access to broadband ? and make that access cheaper for everyone along the way.

For more, we talk to Reed Hundt, chairman of the FCC from 1993 to 1997. He currently heads the non-profit Coalition for Green Capital. We also speak with technology expert Jed Kolko. He is associate director of research at The Public Policy Institute of California.