The FCC has released it's plan to increase broadband access to under served areas.  The National Broadband Plan was discussed on the March 19th edition of NPR's On the Media program.

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On a related note, a federal appeals court has ruled today against the FCC's plan for "Net Neutrality."

According to the story in the New York Times "Consumer advocates said the ruling, one of several that have challenged the F.C.C.’s regulatory reach, could also undermine all of the F.C.C.’s efforts to regulate Internet service providers and establish its authority over the Internet, including its recently released national broadband plan."

While it ain't over 'til it's over  - this ruling is a clear illustration of a point made in the On The Media piece.  Why do most major industrialized countries have wider access and at higher speeds?  "In other countries, when the government asks the telcoms to do something, they do it.  In the U.S., when the government asks the telcoms to do something, they sue."