Events
Submit your questions & ideas
Tweet your questions 
Submit questions to panelists from Twitter @fcc. Use hashtag #BBwkshp to have your question asked during the workshop.
E-mail Panelists
Send an e-mail with questions & ideas for discussion during the workshop.
Share Your Ideas
Share Your Ideas on Developing the National Broadband Plan.
Workshops
The goal of the workshops will be to promote an open dialogue between the FCC and key constituents on matters important to the National Broadband Plan. Key constituents will include service providers, equipment providers, applications providers, community groups, and other groups that have a stake in the future of broadband. Workshops will consist of meetings held at the FCC. The public will have the opportunity to suggest meeting topics and questions for the workshops.
All meetings will be broadcast over the Internet when possible, and archived for viewing at a later time to ensure that everyone has access to the content. All information gathered in these workshops will be made part of the record in the National Broadband Plan proceeding, GN Docket No. 09-51. We will treat these as comments in accordance to the Commission Rule 47 CFR Part 1.
Upcoming Workshops
To be announced...
Past Workshops
Authorization
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was signed into law on February 17, 2009. The Broadband Initiatives funded in the Act are intended to accelerate broadband deployment in unserved, underserved, and rural areas and to strategic institutions that are likely to create jobs or provide significant public benefits.
In particular, Title VII of the act authorizes the FCC to:
- (K) Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, the Commission shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, a report containing a national broadband plan.
- The national broadband plan required by this section shall seek to ensure that all people of the United States have access to broadband capability and shall establish benchmarks for meeting that goal. The plan shall also include:
- an analysis of the most effective and efficient mechanisms for ensuring broadband access by all people of the United States;
- a detailed strategy for achieving affordability of such service and maximum utilization of broadband infrastructure and service by the public;
- an evaluation of the status of deployment of broadband service, including progress of projects supported by the grants made pursuant to this section; and
- a plan for use of broadband infrastructure and services in advancing consumer welfare, civic participation, public safety and homeland security, community development, health care delivery, energy independence and efficiency, education, worker training, private sector investment, entrepreneurial activity, job creation and economic growth, and other national purposes.
