PC World — We'll get a preview of the future of Internet access proposed by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, which will detail its National Broadband Plan Tuesday in an open meeting before formally presenting the plan to Congress on Wednesday.

The meeting is scheduled from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time at the FCC's Washington, D.C. headquarters. But if you can't make it to Washington, you can watch it live online at fcc.gov/live.

Congress gave the FCC a mandate early last year to develop a broadband plan as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Its goal: to improve high-speed Internet access for millions of Americans.

Even though the plan is not yet public, key portions of what the FCC plans have come out in public speeches by FCC officials in recent weeks. Here's what we know so far:

What are the main points of the FCC's nationwide broadband plan?

The centerpiece of the FCC's plan is the "100 Squared Initiative:" a goal of implementing 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) broadband connections in 100 million American households by 2020. The U.S. has an estimated 114 million households today.

The FCC also wants to make 500MHz of wireless spectrum (over the air frequencies) available to mobile carriers. This will enable wireless companies to provide more data-intensive applications to mobile handsets. The move is recommended because the FCC because an impending wireless spectrum shortage could limit broadband and economic growth.

What are the benefits of faster broadband?

The FCC says faster broadband will allow innovation in the classroom, in health care and energy services; and promote public safety, democracy and small business opportunity. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski often promotes high-speed broadband, promoting such uses as remote doctor-patient counseling for rural communities, a smart energy grid that lets a home appliance regulate power consumption, new innovations in classroom learning including online tutoring and access to up-to-date e-textbooks.

Opportunities for businesses could be equally promising. Faster broadband can serve as a platform for new Web-based applications and services delivered from large corporations, small businesses, and startups working out of a garage.

How will the FCC find another 500MHz of spectrum?

Some government agencies, like the Department of Defense, control large amounts of spectrum for their own purposes. These agencies are unlikely to release much of their airwaves, so the FCC wants to ask television stations across the country to give up their unused spectrum and make it available at auction for the wireless companies. The FCC and the television stations would then share the auction proceeds.

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