U.S. senators are never at a loss on how to spend money, they just differ on the way to do it. That was pretty evident at a recent hearing involving the FCC and debate over how to bring regulatory oversight to the Internet and fund access in rural areas. The FCC seeks to assert authority over the Internet, while some forces are opposed. Datamation looks at the arguments on both sides.
A Senate panel took up debate on one of the central planks of the Federal Communications Commission’s broadband plan Thursday morning, but as with many of the commission’s recent activities, much of the debate turned on a controversial proposal to re-impose regulatory oversight of the Internet services sector.
The nominal focus of today’s hearing was the Universal Service Fund, the $9 billion federal subsidy to bring low-cost telephone service to low-income and rural Americans.