March 17, 2015
While most people associate March 17 with leprechauns, beer, and all things Irish, in the tech policy world the date holds additional, geekier significance: It’s the anniversary of the 2010 National Broadband Plan, an FCC-led initiative that promotes the goal of achieving universal, affordable Internet access by 2020. Today, the plan turns five years old — an occasion that reminds us that even though net neutrality has dominated the headlines in 2015, the FCC has also taken significant steps over the past few months to help improve the American broadband market and ensure that we remain globally competitive in the 21st century. There’s still plenty of room for improvement, but we’ve come a long way since the National Broadband Plan made its debut half a decade ago.