To narrow the digital divide, the FCC should not simply extend Lifeline to broadband

Expanding Lifeline will not close the digital divide. The Federal Communications Commission is absolutely right that more should be done to reduce the broadband gap for low-income Americans. But it is unlikely that simply extending Lifeline will help do so. Lifeline needs revolutionary, not just evolutionary, change.

One of the biggest difficulties is that the FCC has not studied in depth the drivers of the low-income broadband gap or understood how to best spend its subsidy dollars. Without such a study, we cannot determine whether, for example, it’s better to give $9 per month to 13 million households, as the FCC suggests, or $45 per month to 2.6 million households. As more activities move online, it is becoming increasingly important to narrow the digital divide by helping those who cannot afford Internet access. The FCC’s $2.25 billion proposal to expand the Lifeline telephone assistance program into a monthly broadband subsidy is unlikely to narrow the digital divide. Congress should adopt a comprehensive approach that encompasses digital literacy outreach programs and low-cost equipment plans as well as monthly service plan subsidies.