Just saw this online here.
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has delayed a vote on a controversial plan to sell wireless airwaves, which would require its buyer to aggressively build out Internet service, including a no-fee, porn-free service.
The plan has no clear path to success and is widely opposed by the wireless industry, which has no interest in seeing a new competitor being forced to offer free Internet access — or being forced to offer it themselves.
WSJ: Mr. Martin had proposed that the FCC vote Dec. 18 on rules for a sale of valuable airwaves that would have required the winning bidders to offer free Internet access to 95% of the country.
That item is opposed by the White House. Bush administration officials disapprove of spectrum auctions that impose conditions on the owners. Other critics have raised questions about whether the plan will work, noting that only one business thus far, M2Z Networks Inc., has offered a business model that includes free Internet.
Under Mr. Martin’s plan, the free Internet proposal would have been smut-free, including a filter for pornography. Adults over 18 would have been able to opt out. Civil rights groups had raised questions about that idea, worrying about whether it would interfere with users’ privacy and free speech.