FCC chairman Tom Wheeler gave former chairman Julius Genachowski and National Broadband Plan architect Blair Levin credit for developing the strategy to "unleash the opportunities of fast, fair and open broadband networks for all Americans."
That came in a statement marking this week's fifth anniversary of the release of that plan, which among other things created the incentive auction trio — H block, AWS-3, and broadcast incentive — meant to free up hundreds of megahertz of wireless spectrum, something the Obama Administration has made a major priority and which Wheeler called "game-changing" proposals.
"The Plan was a seminal moment in reorienting the agency to focus on the opportunities and challenges of high-speed Internet," said Wheeler, a focus he has shared and expanded.
He called the plan "a spark that ignited many significant advances in communications policy."
The plan was essentially released March 15, 2010, when the FCC eased its embargo of the report after leaks of some portions of the plan.
