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National Broadband Plan release delayed; Final comments due January 27

The FCC's National Broadband Plan, originally due for a February 17, 2010 release, has been delayed.

Ahead of the new March deadline, the FCC is seeking public comment on the broadband plan one more time. Comments must be received by January 27, 2010.

FCC officials say they need an additional month to process all the data and public comments that they have been collecting over the past year.

"In order to ensure that there is sufficient time to more fully brief commissioners and key members of Congress, to get additional input from stakeholders and to fully digest the exhaustive record before the agency, the chairman has requested from congressional leaders a short extension of four weeks in order to deliver the final plan," Colin Crowell, senior counselor to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, said in a statement.

Senator John Rockefeller (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Commerce and Representative Rick Boucher, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet both approved the delay.

FCC Chairman Genachowski has indicated that the final plan will include an overhaul of the Universal Service Fund (USF) - the agency will refocus on increasing broadband access. However, he acknowledges that any plan will take a great deal of hard work to implement.

"I can't tell you that we've figured out the solution completely and I can't tell you that we'll figure out the solution to this perfectly by the time we do the National Broadband Plan," he told the technology blog GigaOM.

US to delay release of anticipated broadband plan (Reuters)

Electronic Comment Filing System (FCC)

The GigaOM Interview: FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski on Mobile, Broadband, iPhone & Innovation (GigaOM)