• by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, December 17, 2009

The Federal Communications Commission still has 62 days to present Congress with a national broadband plan, but some consumer advocates say an early report by the agency's task force isn't encouraging.

This week, FCC staff who are helping to develop the plan issued an interim report that discussed matters like allocating spectrum for broadband, giving tax breaks to employers who subsidize broadband and reforming the government-run Universal Service Fund.

But the plan is drawing criticism for what it lacks: a call to require networks to allow their lines to be used by competitors, and a suggestion for both wholesale and retail carriers.

"At a time when U.S. standing in the world is rapidly falling in broadband penetration and adoption, and when bold plans are called for, the Commission appears to be satisfied with taking incremental steps," Public Knowledge president Gigi Sohn said in a statement.

Free Press also had some complaints about the interim report. "Without a comprehensive plan to boost competition other policy initiatives fall flat," said Free Press policy director Ben Scott. "The only aggressive proposal on the table is a whether the government should reclaim broadcast television spectrum and repurpose it for broadband. Why are the sacred cows of the telephone, cable, and wireless industry left untouched?"