The FCC has ‘done little’ to narrow the digital divide, Sen. Rich...

criticizing the Commission for not dedicating a bureau to promoting creation of broadband networks. Durbin, now using online contributions to draft a broadband bill, said his measure will call for a new source of federal financing to boost broadband access and reform the Agriculture Department Rural Utilities Services program to make sure that broadband money goes to “truly rural” places. Durbin said he went online five nights to talk with bloggers about ideas for the bill, a process he’s calling Legislation 2.0. The interactive experience was “exciting and productive,” Durbin said. Former FCC Chairmen William Kennard and Dick Wiley and telecom analyst Blair Levin spoke on a panel at the Thursday event, hashing over issues facing the Commission and FCC. As the 2008 election nears, there will be little telecom-related legislation, Kennard said, and it also will be difficult to get anything done at the FCC involving “contentious” matters. “Paralysis sets in during the spring of an election year,” he said. With primaries “front loaded,” the campaign is starting even earlier than usual, Kennard said, calling the digital transition the commission’s biggest hurdle. “It is a train wreck waiting to happen” if mishandled, Kennard said, noting that a new FCC chairman probably will oversee the transition in 2009. Levin agreed that “we're not going to see a lot of action in Congress” but he said broadband access still will be discussed. “The number one thing that the new FCC chairman will face in 2009 is the digital transition,” Levin said. Candidates will talk about the DTV transition, Wiley said, because it’s an issue that people outside the Beltway can understand.