FCC Commissioner Starks Remarks at NTCA Legislative and Policy Conference

This pandemic may define our generation, and the changes in our daily lives required by social distancing have highlighted the importance of broadband and the consequences of internet inequality. I’d like to discuss four points that I think are necessary to address the digital divide in rural America. First, the Federal Communications Commission must fund rural broadband with fixed maps. Second, to address rural connectivity we must incentivize providers to bring future-proof broadband to our communities. Third, we must hold auction winners accountable. More than a dozen CAF-II auction winners have already defaulted on their bids to provide service to rural areas. The high stakes are clear as communities receiving support under CAF-II will not be eligible to do so under the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. Fourth is that to fully address rural broadband we must advance a more affordable way for our poorest Americans in rural areas to connect to the internet. Quite simply, the FCC should require Universal Service Fund auction winners to offer an affordable broadband service option. 

As we address one of the worst health and economic crises in our nation’s history, the FCC needs to reexamine our policy towards Lifeline, the only federal program with the sole mission of bringing affordable communications to low-income Americans and a critical aspect of our social safety net. The FCC must take the helm in informing eligible Americans about the Lifeline program. We’ve already seen providers step up and increase their voice and data offerings; however, the FCC needs to view this as an emergency and step up ourselves to ensure that more is done to help our most vulnerable communities.