Experts: Broadband Key to Boosting Higher Ed Access for Poor

A federal program that provides phone service to the poor could boost access to higher education if the program is upgraded to include broadband service, panelists said March 23. “We’re talking about access to the same opportunities,” said Phillip Berenbroick, counsel for government affairs at Public Knowledge. “If you’re a high school student and you can get broadband because you have a Lifeline subsidy, you’re talking about being able to learn more about the opportunities available to you,” Berenbroick said. Berenbroick made his remarks at the New America Foundation during a panel discussion titled “Bringing All Americans Online: How Updates to the FCC’s Lifeline Program Can Improve Opportunities for Underserved Communities.” [Benton Foundation sponsored the event]