NEWS
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D. C.  20554
This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action.
See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).
News Media Information 202 / 418-0500
Internet: http://www.fcc.gov
TTY: 1-888-835-5322
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEWS CONTACT:
February 18, 2010 Mark Wigfield, 202-418-0253
Email: mark.wigfield@fcc.gov
BROADBAND PLAN’S WORKING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
KEY NATIONAL PRIORITIES UNVEILED
Plans Shows How Broadband Can Transform Key Sectors to Provide Better Quality of Life
Washington, D.C. -- Working recommendations meant to bring the innovative force of 
broadband to healthcare, education, energy and the environment, government, public safety and 
homeland security, job training, and small business were unveiled today at a meeting of the 
Federal Communications Commission. 
With the deadline for delivering a National Broadband Plan to Congress on March 17 less than a 
month away, the team developing the plan highlighted elements under consideration in the 
“national purposes” section of the plan.  The working recommendations are designed to support 
America’s competitive advantages in key sectors of the economy and society.
Government plays a major role in these sectors as policymaker, buyer, or supplier, but its 
policies have often inhibited or failed to provide incentives for investment in and innovative use 
of broadband.  The working recommendations presented today are intended to integrate 
broadband into the country’s priorities and deliver to consumers high-quality healthcare, world-
class education, smarter energy tools, 21st century jobs, greater public safety, more opportunities 
for civic engagement, and a better quality of life.
Key themes include using broadband to foster innovative approaches to intractable problems.  
Broadband can help the country achieve better results in important areas by facilitating the flow 
of information; removing barriers of time and space; and making data accessible for research, 
applications, and decision-making, all while protecting privacy.
Following are some of the key challenges and working recommendations to address them by 
subject area.  More detail can be found in the presentation made to the Commission, which is 
posted at http://reboot.fcc.gov/open-meetings/2010/february.
PROVIDING JOBS AND CREATING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
· Challenge: The current job training system is fragmented and difficult to expand or contract 
to accommodate changing demands for service.
· Solutions: Accelerate efforts to deliver employment assistance, including job training and 
placement services, on a scalable online platform.
· Challenge: Small businesses are less likely to use broadband to increase productivity.
· Solutions: Launch public-private partnership to expand efforts to provide technology 
training for small and disadvantaged businesses.
IMPROVING HEALTHCARE AND CONTROLLING COSTS
· Challenge: Remote monitoring of vital signs and electronic health records could save $700 
billion over 15-25 years, but the U.S. lags in health IT adoption. 
· Solutions: Create conditions for broader adoption and innovation in e-care technologies; 
reduce regulatory barriers to increase access to care.
· Challenge: Many healthcare providers lack broadband connections or pay high prices.
· Solutions: Ensure all providers have access to affordable broadband by transforming the 
Rural Health Care Program to subsidize both ongoing costs and network deployment, while 
expanding the definition of eligible providers. 
PROVIDING MORE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND IMPROVING 
OUTCOMES
· Challenge: While 97% percent of public elementary and secondary schools have Internet 
access, speeds are insufficient.
· Solution: Upgrade E-rate program to provide additional connectivity, flexibility and 
efficiency.
· Challenge: Online learning can reduce time required to learn by half and increase course 
completion rates, but there are barriers to wider adoption. 
· Solutions: Remove regulatory barriers to online learning; increase supply of digital content 
and online learning systems; promote digital literacy for students and teachers.
PROMOTING ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND EFFICIENCY
· Challenge: The intermittency of renewable power and the increased loads from electric 
vehicles will strain the current electric grid, unless we modernize the grid with broadband 
and advanced communications.
· Solutions: Ensure that broadband is integrated into the smart grid by promoting and 
improving commercial broadband networks, better coordinating and standardizing private 
utility networks, and enabling partnerships with public safety networks.  A smart grid can 
reduce greenhouse gasses from electricity generation by up to 12% by 2030.
· Challenge: Consumers lack access to and control of their own digital energy data 
to understand and manage their energy use, which limits the innovation potential and energy 
savings of smarter homes and smarter buildings.
· Solutions: Ensure consumers have access to and privacy of real-time and historical digital 
energy information through changes to state and federal policies.
ENHANCING GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE & INCREASING CIVIC 
ENGAGEMENT
· Challenge: The government lags in adoption of Internet technologies, hindering quality of 
service and civic engagement.
· Solutions: Release more government data on digital platforms; enable citizen-centric online 
services; encourage greater use of social media.
· Challenge: Federal assets not used effectively to spur local adoption and deployment of 
broadband.
· Solutions: Have federal buildings serve as anchor tenants for unserved and underserved 
communities; encourage greater coordination in broadband grants; open federal NETWORX 
contract to state and local governments.
INCREASING PUBLIC SAFETY & HOMELAND SECURITY
· Challenge: First responders lack a nationwide interoperable broadband wireless network 
dedicated to the provision of public safety services.
· Solutions: Enable the construction and operation of an interoperable nationwide broadband 
wireless public safety network with appropriate capacity and resiliency, leveraging 
commercial technology; creation of an Emergency Response Interoperability Center to 
ensure nationwide interoperability; and appropriation of grant funding for network 
construction, operation and evolution.
· Challenge: Transition to Next Generation 9-1-1 networks and emergency alerting is 
hampered by a lack of intergovernmental coordination, as well as jurisdictional, legal and 
funding issues.
· Solutions: Promote innovation in the development and deployment of the Next Generation 
of 9-1-1 networks and emergency alerting systems by fully embracing broadband 
technologies and ensuring that coordination, jurisdictional, legal and funding impediments 
are avoided.
--FCC--
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 directed the FCC to submit a National 
Broadband Plan to Congress that addresses broadband deployment, adoption, affordability, and 
the use of broadband to advance solutions to national priorities.  More information about 
development of the National Broadband Plan can be found at www.broadband.gov