Affordable Broadband Needed for Public Health, Economic Security

In a letter to Congressional leadership, over 80 groups urged Congress to provide a low-income broadband benefit as part of the forthcoming Phase 4 COVID-19 package. The groups are seeking $2 to 3 billion per month for the duration of the COVID-19 emergency to support access to broadband that is adequate to meet the needs of multiple people sheltering-in-place while working and learning via video technology simultaneously. To ensure essential communications service, the proposal includes:

• An immediate appropriation of $2 to 3 billion per month for the extent of the crisis and for 30 days following, to support an emergency broadband benefit for all eligible low-income households and the newly unemployed – approximately 60 million households.
• The benefit will offer free service to eligible households paid to their Internet Service Providers (ISPs) at $50 per month to support 100 megabits per second downstream/10 megabits per second upstream and $25 per month to support 25 megabits per second downstream/3 megabits per second upstream. These benefits should be doubled in, and tailored for, tribal areas.
• Households eligible for the benefit would be within 135 percent of the federal poverty guideline, recently laid off, furloughed, applied for or approved for state unemployment insurance, participate in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, free and reduced school lunch, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA), or the Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit.
• The ISP would be prohibited from imposing any delay, co-payment, waiting period, or limitations for customers owing arrearages.
• Safeguards and existing low-income program infrastructure at the Federal Communications Commission, streamlined where necessary, should be used to immediately get support to those in need. Specifically, an ISP need not be designated an eligible telecommunications carrier but must comply with appropriate FCC program integrity rules.