In a breakthrough for tech firms, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) approved a plan to open unused TV channels for wireless broadband. FCC chairman, Julius Genachowski said the move would offer "unique opportunities for innovators and entrepreneurs."

Companies like Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT) and Dell (DELL) have been pushing the FCC for this decision. The unused TV channels are called "white spaces" because signals can carry long distances and through buildings.

I first discussed rural broadband and telecom prodvider Windstream Corp. (WIN) here on January 18, 2010, at a price of $10.92. The shares have since meandered for the better part of three months, but Windstream is still attractive. Here's why:

Look for 16-state-presence Windstream to post a 3% to 5% revenue gain in 2010, led by broadband subscriber increases, offset by a phone revenue decline. Windstream should also benefit from a rise in business broadband subscriptions as business formation increases with the U.S. economic recovery. A nice $1 annual dividend adds to the positive story.

News is out about the new broadband ISP foray by Google (GOOG). So far, Google, for purposes of public relations, has labeled their new direction a "scientific test." Media analysts the world over are speculating about what exactly Google might be up to. Some people claim that telecommunications providers might be or should be worried about what Google could be positioning for. I think that attitude is a bit shortsighted.

Let me remind our readers, when speculating about Google, it is best to adjust our projections to a decades-ahead frame of mind. What exactly could Google accomplish with broadband capability up to 100 times faster than any Internet data feed currently available to consumers? Please consider the following possibilities:

Ciena (NASDAQ: CIEN), a business that sells various networking and software products for fiber-optic and broadband technologies, and whose colleagues include Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) and Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU), reported late Thursday a difficult second quarter. Revenues declined by 40%. For the bottom line, Ciena said it lost 25 cents per share on an adjusted basis. Last year at this time, Ciena made an adjusted 40 cents per share. And in terms of expectations, the company was only supposed to lose 9 cents per share. Guess there wasn't a chance of that, huh?

The U.S. recession has hit just about every sector fairly hard, save health care; internet services have certainly not been immune.

Still, Wall Street has been known to overdo it somewhat on the downside, particularly when a growth play runs into a recession, and that's why Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN) is worth a review.

Ciena supplies communications networking equipment, software and services to communications service providers, cable operators, governments and enterprises. The company specializes in helping organizations transition from old-world architectures to high-bandwidth services. Hence, CIEN is largely a broadband play, and now that it looks like better days are up ahead for the U.S. economy in a quarter or two, firms will begin to make the investments they need to stay competitive in a decidedly broadband world. The First Call F2009/F2010 EPS estimates for CIEN are a loss of 21 cents and a profit of 15 cents.

The old adage to new investors has always been to invest in something that you use or believe in. Right now, you're probably reading this online and there's a good chance you got online through a broadband connection, so why not invest in the companies that continue to supply equipment for the growth of the broadband revolution?

The exchange-traded fund (ETF) Broadband HOLDRs (NYSE: BDH) is a great way to invest in the broadband industry without having to select one company. BDH consists of about 22 companies that develop, manufacture and market products and services that facilitate the transmission of data, video and voice more quickly and efficiently than traditional telephone line communications.

Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) is setting up a new tool to allow people online to measure whether their broadband provider is cutting down the speed of their access to the internet.

According to Reuters, "Google is looking to encourage network neutrality and prevent Internet service providers from blocking bandwidth-heavy sites." That is probably good news for consumers, but it is bad news for broadband providers like Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) who have limited capacity in their network infrastructures.

"Investors have been focusing on the shortcomings at Qwest Communications International (NYSE: Q), and to be sure, it has plenty," observes turnaround specialist George Putnam.

In his The Turnaround Letter, he adds, "But the company also has very valuable assets and strong cash flow. In addition, we believe the stock would command a good premium in a takeover." Here's his bullish review.

"Following its IPO in 1995, Qwest expanded via acquisitions and partnerships, and participated in the telecom bubble of the late 1990's.

"Unlike many of the other high-flying telecoms of that era, however, Qwest realized that in addition to a story you needed customers. In 2000, it went out and acquired US West, which gave Qwest the revenue base to survive the bursting of the telecom bubble

"Although the company survived, the shareholders have had a rocky ride during the current decade. The stock peaked around 60 in 2000, dropped to just above 1 in 2002, rebounded to 10 in 2007 and then declined to its present level.

"Management's challenge is too maximize the value of its assets. One of Qwest's greatest assets, and biggest challenges, is its huge traditional landline telephone business. The landline business is in a slow but steady decline as customers move to wireless or Internet telephony.

First Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) tried to cut off customers using peer-to-peer file sharing services. They ate up too much bandwidth and slowed down the cable company's network. At least that is what Comcast said.

The FCC did not like the Comcast approach and asked it to fix the matter. Comcast still says it has congestion problems and wants to handle them using a new method. According to Bloomberg, the cable guys "plans to slow service to its heaviest Internet users during periods of congestion after regulators ordered the company to devise a new method for managing its Web traffic."

If the traffic load in one area of the network becomes too great, big users could see their service dialed back to slower speeds for as long as 20 minutes.

Consumers will get bent out of shape because they reason that everyone should have unlimited access to the Internet, especially if they are paying $30 a month for broadband. But, that avoids an acknowledgment of the practical parts of the system. Internet "pipes" are only so big. If they become clogged, none of the users win.

The Comcast plan is fair and reasonable. If people want super-fast speeds all the time, they should pay for it. That is the only way for the cable company to undertake the work of upgrading its network without hurting its shareholders.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

The FCC is looking at using part of the TV signal spectrum to provide wireless high-speed internet. It is a brilliant idea that is being opposed by a large part of the television industry.

According to The Wall Street Journal, "The Federal Communications Commission will have the final say in the battle between the broadcasters -- which fear interference on the airwaves they'll still be using -- and the companies including Google Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG). and Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) that want to share the television airwaves."

The fight is a classic example of old media not wanting to give up something that it has "owned" for years because it may help new competition.

Tough luck. Broadband adoption in the U.S. is behind several countries in Europe and Asia, and if the FCC can offer an inexpensive solution to that, it should. The new over-the-air system would have many of the benefits of Wi-Fi, but would be more broadly available.

TV broadcasters say that the new technology could interfere with their signals, but testing can demonstrate whether that is true or not. The FCC has the chance to move broadband adoption forward with one spectacular decision. It should not balk at the chance.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.