A bad federal Internet plan

You probably haven't heard the term "digital divide" in more than 10 years. That's how long it has been since the federal government talked about its "obligation" to make sure everyone in the nation had access to a computer. The term fell by the wayside when it gradually became clear that the private sector would take care of the problem on its own.

Get ready to go back to the future.

The Federal Communications Commission, urged by President Barack Obama, has unveiled a grand plan to get everyone in the nation hooked up to high-speed Internet. The premise seems to be that if you haven't brought a broadband connection to your home yet, you're probably too stupid to understand what you're missing, so the government has to ram it down your throat.

The truth is the private sector is doing a good job of getting everyone wired already. About two-thirds (64 percent) of American households have high-speed Internet, which is up impressively from only 54 percent two years ago, according to figures from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

Of the people who don't have high-speed Internet, 38 percent claim not to need it. While they may suppose they are living life just fine, anyway, Larry Strickling, head of the NTIA, told The Associated Press that government has to help those people see "what they are missing."

Interestingly, only 3.6 percent of people surveyed said they don't have the Internet because there is no way to get it, which flies directly in the face of federal assertions that a good portion of the nation isn't served.

Of course, this new government initiative is going to cost money, including for a proposed Digital Literacy Corps, which would teach Grandma and anyone else who doesn't want it how to get wired. One plan is to auction off some frequencies currently used by TV stations, selling them to wireless Internet companies. That already is meeting stiff resistance from broadcasters. Another plan is to use part of a current federal subsidy meant for rural telephone service, but that would require a change in law. Meanwhile, $7.2 billion of last year's stimulus package already was set aside for broadband services.

Utahns have experience with subsidized broadband. The UTOPIA network has proved to be largely incapable of surviving on its own without public subsidy and without huge initial investments from home users. A nationwide system would have a much better chance to succeed because, of course, the federal government has a lot more money at its disposal. That does not mean the program would be any more cost-effective or that it would be necessary.

Only one part of the new plan has merit. A small tax would be applied to current broadband subscriptions to set up an emergency national wireless network to allow police, fire and other emergency responders to communicate during a crisis.

Every other part of the plan is a disturbing intrusion of the federal government into an Internet industry that is responding to markets and doing quite well on its own.