FCC chief's free broadband plan delayed

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin's plan to provide free wireless high-speed Internet service hit a snag this week over concerns about possible interference and a proposed censoring feature that upset free speech advocates. Chairman Martin said that the plan will not be voted on at the June 12 meeting as first promised, but he hopes to present it to the full commission in July. Under the plan, the FCC would auction 25 megahertz of spectrum - a sizable chunk - to a single bidder who would use it to build a nationwide network and dedicate about 25 percent of it for the broadband service. The concept first was envisioned by wireless startup M2Z Networks Inc. of Menlo Park, Calif. The company asked the FCC to let it use the same frequencies in the current plan so it could offer a free nationwide broadband service. In exchange, the company would pay the federal government a percentage of revenues earned on sales generated from advertising on the resulting network. The FCC rejected the proposal because it meant giving the airwaves to the company without it bidding against other carriers for the rights.
http://www.newsobserver.com/1595/story/1097919.html
* FCC delays consideration of free Internet plan
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN0542343120080606