• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, January 7, 2010

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski has asked Congress for an extra month to complete drafting a blueprint to improve broadband availability and adoption in the U.S.

Genachowski told leading lawmakers on Thursday that the commission has engaged in an "unparalleled" process to develop a national broadband plan. "It has included over 50 public workshops and field hearings, more than a dozen public notices, and significant hours devoted at commission meetings to provide the public with updates," Genachowski said in letters to key House and Senate members. "The additional time will enable the FCC to continue to obtain input from key stakeholders and more fully brief Commissioners and the House and Senate Committees on aspects of the plan as it comes together."

Congress tasked the FCC with formulating a broadband plan last year as part of the $7.2 billion broadband stimulus bill.

A recent interim report by an FCC task force disappointed some broadband advocates. That report discussed allocating spectrum for broadband, giving tax breaks to employers who subsidize broadband and reforming the government-run Universal Service Fund, among other matters. But some advocates say the FCC should also require networks to allow their lines to be used by competitors.

Genachowski told Congress on Thursday that the four-week extension will not affect the FCC budget for the plan.