1. Monthly archive
  2. February 2024

February 2024

FCC Chair Unveils Latest ACP Metrics at Net Inclusion 2024

A recent survey revealed that 81 percent of households with schoolchildren receiving a monthly broadband subsidy are worried about the prospect of losing this assistance and its potential effects on their children's education, according to the Universal Service Administrative Company. These metrics “demonstrate with incredible clarity just how important it is to stay connected in modern life and how dangerous it is to threaten disconnection,” said Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.

The ACP is Critical Aid for Low Income Older Adults

It is downright shocking that millions of low-income older adults, members of our one of our most vulnerable communities, will lose their broadband connection due to the uncertainty of funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program. For older adults in financial need, the extension of funding for the ACP is critical. While the number of those over the age of 65 with broadband in the home has grown, it is still one of the biggest gaps of the digital divide. At the start of the ACP, only 64% of those 65 and older had a broadband connection in the home 

The end of the Affordable Connectivity Program is almost here, threatening to widen the digital divide

In early 2023, Brookings Metro and other experts were warning that, without action, the United States was likely take the biggest step any country has ever taken to widen rather than close its digital divide. The reason? The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides a $30 per month subsidy for broadband to about 23 million homes, would run out of funds sometime in late April or May 2024. Now, we’ve arrived at that precipice.

Federal Trade Commission’s Alvaro Bedoya says laws to keep teens off social media won’t work

As government officials increasingly scrutinize how digital platforms may harm kids, a growing number of states are proposing sweeping restrictions to limit their access to social media. But a top federal enforcer active on kids’ safety issues said that he opposes such limits, arguing they are unlikely to work and may run afoul of the Constitution. “Meet a teenager, they will find a way to get around that,” said Federal Trade Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya.

Sponsor: 

Communications And Technology Subcommittee

House Commerce Committee

Date: 
Thu, 02/15/2024 - 10:00

Witnesses

Mr. James Lewis, Senior Vice President, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

Mr. Craig Singleton, China Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow, Foundation of Defense of Democracies

Ms. Lindsay Gorman, Senior Fellow for Emerging Technologies, German Marshall Fund’s Alliance for Securing Democracy


© 1994-2024 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved.