Joan Marsh

There is broad consensus that American leadership in the 5G economy depends in part on smart spectrum policy. This includes a sharp focus on building a strong and competitive ecosystem in mid-band allocations, where wide bands can be coupled with capabilities such as edge computing and network slicing to enable 5G to act as a catalyst for transforming industries and economies.

There is a lot of momentum in Washington (DC) and in state governments right now to improve the adoption of broadband by addressing the issue of affordability for low-income communities. To decide what policies will do the most good for low-income households seeking broadband connectivity, it’s important to first understand the existing marketplace.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated shifts in how we communicate and magnified the importance of broadband connectivity for all Americans. We commend FCC Commissioner Carr for his remarks highlighting the urgent need to address the meltdown of the current subsidy program for low-income Americans.

AT&T estimated the number of total housing units without fixed broadband service at the Federal Communications Commission’s current 25/3 speed threshold (9.8 million) and at a 100/20 speed threshold (16.4 million) in both served and unserved census blocks. These are nationwide estimates without regard to any measure of “high-cost”

Billions of dollars have already been directed to broadband infrastructure and affordability in stimulus legislation, and we anticipate a significant commitment to broadband deployment in the upcoming Biden infrastructure bill.  But all of this has raised two – and I think separate – fundamental questions.

March 12, we are filing our application to participate in the Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefit program so we can offer low-income customers additional options for discounted broadband services. We appreciate the Commission’s efforts to move swiftly to implement this program and we look forward to its official launch date. While the EBB will help address the immediate broadband connectivity needs of many low-income Americans, we will continue to work with Congress and others to identify permanent and sustainable funding solutions.

The $3.2 billion Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, which promises up to $50/month towards broadband service, is a real step in the right direction.  But those dollars will be quickly exhausted.

Four specific steps government, with industry’s cooperation, can take to make availability and affordability a reality for every American:

The preliminary results of the Federal Communications Commission’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction are now public and while it is a long road from auction results to authorization of funding to actual deployment, the results have significant implications for US broadband policy.

AT&T is responding to a Request for Information from the US Department of Defense (DoD) that seeks comment on spectrum sharing technologies and leasing arrangements; asks whether the DoD should own and operate its own 5G network; and addresses myriad technical, statutory, legal, regulatory and policy issues associated with new approaches to spectrum sharing.