The FCC is tasked with solving the digital divide and it's making things worse

In an era that’s buzzing with talk of autonomous vehicles and virtual wallets, mere access to broadband internet remains out of reach for many. And while Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai frequently reminds the public that his top priority is closing the digital divide, his actions have made it harder, again and again, for Americans to get internet access. He has been leading the charge to gut Lifeline, the federal program that subsidizes phone and broadband connections for low-income people in the United States. He created a new agency committee that was tasked with advising the FCC how to effectively encourage broadband deployment. Pai said he was “excited that the [committee] will soon be getting to work on recommendations that will help break down barriers to broadband deployment.” Unfortunately, Chairman Pai stacked the committee with industry representatives and much of its work benefits the industry’s interest in turning a profit, as opposed to actually making broadband more accessible. The committee’s work would in fact make it nearly impossible for cities and towns to build their own internet networks, an increasingly popular option for communities that are being bypassed by private internet service providers. Instead of encouraging deployment, this committee has worked to limit local communities’ ability to solve the problems that the market (and FCC) won’t.

[Cat Blake is the policy and program manager at Next Century Cities, a coalition of 190 municipalities focused on fast, affordable, reliable broadband for all]