Realistically, It's A Stupid Idea

I'm not exactly sure what tasks our scientists, engineers, mathematicians and Ive-league-trained coffee makers are given inside the government.

They have more important works to get done. They have to fiddle with slide-rules, draw colorful charts with $50 space pencils, and carry the appropriate (double-laminated, indestructible) identification that proves they can do so.

I'm sure there are awesome reasons for spending money on research and data collection. No doubt about it.

But what I'm kind of fuzzy on, is the process of how the government plans to execute the implementation of high-speed Internet (broadband) across the United States.

Let's put financial resources (our tax dollars) aside for a moment.

The National Broadband Plan, will work like this:

In a few days, the program will launch. (Blast-off).

A visit over to the Web site (in beta at the time of this post), www.broadband.gov, reveals a bunch of information and, more importantly, a testing service that examines your current connection to the Internet. It measures upload and download speeds, latency, and some other technical stuff. It then spits back the results, and thanks you for taking the test.

The purpose of the plan (initiative) is to report that information to consumers and the FCC, and educate the customer how his connection differs from others (flat out tell you that your connections sucks), and what he can do about it (call your representative to complain).

As if legislators aren't busy with other things.

It's supposed to promote open enterprise between service providers, and transparency in what they charge.

Overall, it will engage a national conversation over establishing broadband speeds in unserved, underserved communities.

It has good intention, but the service of www.broadband.gov is just smoke.

It's a clone of a very basic broadband speed test offered by many others sites (Google: speed test).

The Web site is a waste of money and effort, and based on the absurd principle of self-reporting.

The FCC should ask the ISPs what they do and don't offer.

And if they're going to spend financial resources (our bloody tax dollars) on it, at least get some guys in white coats and black suits to poll neighborhoods, and make a trip to the cable or Internet service office to investigate.