Reactions to Chairman Pai's Keep Americans Connected Pledge

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai launched the Keep Americans Connected Pledge. Here's what people think. 

Sen Mark Warner (D-VA): “The coronavirus outbreak is already creating an unprecedented need for teleworking, telehealth and online education technology. I’m glad to see certain companies quickly responding to our letter and putting a pause on restrictive caps, fees and other policies that could interfere with online access during this critical time. I’m also pleased to see companies committing to expanding broadband access for students who may not have it so that their educations are not completely disrupted during school closures. I call on those internet providers that have not taken similar steps to do so immediately, in order to assist their fellow Americans during this time of great national strain.” 

Gigi Sohn, Distinguished Fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy and a Benton Institute for Broadband & Society Senior Fellow & Public Advocate: "Chairman Pai should be commended for using his bully pulpit to get broadband companies to take steps to help Americans stay connected during the COVID19 crisis. But the companies need to do far more than have promised under the Keep America Connected Pledge. Among other things, they should heed the Chairman’s plea to relax data caps and overage fees, expand, improve and if necessary lower the price of low-income broadband programs, and create such programs where they don’t already exist. Carriers should also permit tethering mobile service to devices if they don’t already do so, and increase bandwidth if necessary at no extra charge to ensure that everyone has fast, reliable broadband. But the FCC also needs to look at what it can do in the short term to ensure that Americans who need to work, learn or get medical advice from home can do so. Among other things, it should allow the use of E-Rate funds for schools and libraries to pay for mobile wifi hotspots so that low-income students can continue to learn from home.  It should also stop its war on Lifeline and make it easier rather than harder for low-income Americans to adopt broadband, including increasing the small $9.25 subsidy." 

Michael Copps, Former FCC Commissioner and Common Cause Special Advisor: “We welcome steps the FCC is taking to urge broadband providers connect Americans during this unprecedented pandemic our nation is currently facing.  As businesses shift to telework policies and schools transition to online-only classes for extended periods of time, communities will need robust and affordable broadband access now more than ever. Unfortunately, the FCC has spent the last few years stripping much of its authority to oversee the broadband industry, preventing many of the provisions in this pledge from being enforceable. Despite its limited authority, the FCC can and should do more to fully address broadband connectivity needs during this pandemic. The FCC can use its universal service authority to ensure existing programs designed to connect communities to broadband are fully utilized. For example, the Lifeline program connects eligible low-income households to affordable communications services. However, millions of eligible low-income households remain unenrolled. The FCC can take action to ensure all eligible low-income households are enrolled in the program. Further, millions of students lack a broadband connection at home. As Commissioner Rosenworcel has repeatedly stated, the ‘homework gap’ puts students without home broadband at a significant disadvantage. The FCC could address this by expanding its E-rate program to families with students that don’t have a broadband connection at home. The FCC must also address telehealth services so Americans can adequately connect to hospitals and other medical services. These are just a few small steps the FCC can take. The coronavirus pandemic will expose many of the gaps in broadband connectivity we face today. The FCC must do everything it can to close these gaps and fully address the broadband connectivity needs of all Americans during this pandemic.”

Free Press Campaign Director Candace Clement: “We’re glad to see Chairman Pai join Commissioners Rosenworcel and Starks, many members of Congress, and public-interest groups like Free Press in calling on our nation’s ISPs to step up in this time of national emergency. The pledge for ISPs to act as other utilities do and halt disconnections during this emergency is welcome, and will help many struggling families. But there’s much more that all ISPs can and should do. While a few large ISPs have decided to drop their arbitrary and unreasonable data caps and overage fees, many have not. Millions of people in the United States are still impacted, including those using smaller ISPs that are not nationally known brands. We call on all the major ISP trade organizations to urge their members to halt disconnects, eliminate caps and overage fees, and offer low-cost service packages and other forms of relief to internet users. Trade organizations like ACA, NTCA, RWA, along with NCTA, USTA and CTIA, have a great deal of influence that they should exercise. There’s also much more that policymakers and the FCC itself can do. Such actions include increasing monthly allotments for Lifeline wireless plans, approving experimental licenses to increase public Wi-Fi capacity, and finally taking seriously the potential for traffic spikes and snarls at internet-exchange points. The time to act is now."