Plan to help low-income people access broadband is a 'mistake,' its creator says

In a speech to the Joint Center on Political and Economic Studies, National Broadband Plan architect Blair Levin targeted two Federal Communications Commission assistance programs: Lifeline, which subsidizes phone service, and Link-up, which helps households pay to install traditional phone lines or activate wireless phones. They should both be phased out rather than expanded to promote broadband, Levin said, because spreading broadband to low-income groups is a different kind of problem than spreading telephone access.

"Cost is an issue. But it is just one issue," he said. The spread of broadband comes with challenges around device literacy, search literacy, and even basic word literacy. "No one needs these to use a phone," he said. Levin detailed a new way forward, proposing an FCC assistance program created from scratch. The program would entirely focus on broadband, and heavily emphasize training. Levin stressed the importance of conditional subsidies in such a program, dependent on recipients taking certain positive actions. For instance, a family could receive a broadband subsidy if their child uses the Internet for homework, and maintains a certain grade point average. He also suggested ways to drive down costs, including auctions allowing broadband providers to compete for the chance to offer low-cost service, which would win them business from the people on subsidies.