Purple congratulates the FCC for its release of the National Broadband Plan which seeks to make Broadband more affordable and accessible.

Some of you may remember my comments about H.R. 3101 (the Coat Bill), and Purple’s continuing support of the bill. As Jamie Berke in her blog noted, the FCC “expressed de facto support for HR 3101″ which is a very good thing, indeed.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski noted that only 42% of people with disabilities have adopted Broadband compared with 65% of the general population. This gaps clearly needs to be closed.

NAD Law and Advocacy Center Director, Rosaline Crawford, stated

To the extent that the FCC has acknowledged, publicly, the need for a lot of what is in [H.R. 3101], I think it is incumbent upon us to ensure that the bill passes and to ensure that the FCC has the authority it needs to ensure access to the Internet and broadband for everyone. We are thrilled with this kind of support and acknowledgment of this need.

Other disability groups have lauded the FCC for the Plan’s inclusion of people with disabilities.