Kara Swisher

Recent Posts by Kara Swisher

The FCC's National Broadband Paper Plan Gets a BoomTown Tour of the Nation's Capital!

When I went to Washington, D.C., last week to visit the Federal Communications Commission on the occasion of its release of its National Broadband Plan, I was actually given a paper version in a giant binder.

Yes, a dead-tree copy of a federal government scheme to make the United States more digital!

And, at hundreds of pages, it weighed more than when I was lugging my kid around the nation’s capital when he was a baby.

Thus, my big idea to take the analog plan around and show it the sights of Washington, with a little help from some tourists.

Ever the most excellent PR dude, the FCC’s Mark Wigfield wrote me in an email:

“It would have been hard to take broadband.gov on a tour of D.C., so I think the binder served a useful purpose!…I would be remiss in not telling you that I think our new media team’s Web presentation of the plan is really fantastic and user-friendly :)”

Nice try, Mark, you decimator of forests!

In any case, here’s my video, including stops at the Capitol, the Washington Monument, the White House and the Smithsonian:

(You can also see the FCC’s NBP executive director Blair Levin trying to foist another paper plan on me in this interview about it.)


comments so far. Add yours.

  • Anonymous

    FCC BROADBAND PLAN – We must make maximum Use of our Spectrum Resources. We need to Used our Technological Strength, to Increased the Capacity of this Very Limited Resource (i, e, Increased the Air Interface/Spectral Efficiency).

    We must used some of the Stimulus Funds, in combination with a 50/50 Joint Venture between the Government and the Private Sector Investment, and used the combined Funding (i, e, it may Cost up to $300 Billions), to Build Smart Infrastructure Services for: Broadband, Healthcare IT, Smart Transportation Systems, and Smart Grids.

    BROADBAND – The Engine of Economic Growth in this 21st Century is “Broadband.” We can start by, Deploying a pure Packet-based, All Optical/IP, Multi-Service National TRANSPORT (BackHaul) Network Infrastructure, using Optical Ethernet throughout this National “Network of Networks.” This will Connect All Optical Islands, Nationwide.

    The Investment in this National “Network of Networks”, in addition New Jobs Creation and Economic Recovery, can also Serve as a Business Driver for: Law Enforcement (FOP) Nationwide Network, e-Government, BioSurveillance, e-Commerce, e-Education, e-Healthcare, Energy and Transportation Systems, Social Networking, Entertainment, etc. This Investment is like the Investments made in the past, in ERA, TVA, National RailRoad, and the National Transportation Inter-State Highways, which Increased Productivity and our GDP.

    Please Se: http://www.Compuline1.Health.Officelive.com for NHIN Summary Deployment Plan.

    Gadema KOrboi Quoquoi
    President & CEO
    COMPULINE INTERNATIONAL, INC.

  • http://blog.macb.net macbeach

    Nothing you said was exaggerated and from my experience after lunch most of those offices are empty. As a contractor I used to attend meeting and turn in notes so that various government workers could know if anything they were “responsible” for was discussed. Yes, the meetings were mostly other contractors acting as stand-ins as well. Boy the damage we could have done!

    I guess Boomtown readers know that a large slice of future deficit spending will be on Cadillac retirement plans for these people that are not included in the departmental budgets (or any budget as far as I know).

    It's a black hole for the carnival tickets we call money, and eventually we will all be sucked in one way or another. Maybe faster broadband will make it less painful somehow.

  • sduque

    A recent Harvard grad shares his thoughts on the National Broadband Plan and whether internet access should be a right:

    http://stevenduque.com/2010/03.....ss-…

  • http://www.auto-rent.ro Rent a Car

    Me and my friend were arguing about an issue similar to this! Now I know that I was right. lol! Thanks for the information you post.

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