Telecom Industry, Broadband Advocates Push for Internet Subsidies in Next Stimulus

With few funds dedicated to expanding at-home internet access in the $2.2 trillion “phase three” economic stimulus package, broadband advocates and the telecommunications industry are starting to push for the Federal Communications Commission and Congress to ensure that the government prioritizes expanding and funding existing subsidy programs in the next relief legislation to bring more Americans online as the coronavirus continues to spread. About 250 advocacy organizations signed a letter urging the agency to require participating Lifeline carriers to provide subscribers with unlimited phone and texting plans during the pandemic, as well as give participants up to a $50 discount per connection each month. Olivia Wein, an attorney at the National Consumer Law Center, one of the letter’s signatories, said “one of the hurdles has been connecting the dots” for lawmakers to understand how dire expanding Lifeline and other subsidies to expand at-home internet service is. “How do you get work done or apply for work or apply for benefits?” she said. “All of these things, if you have broadband, you can do from your home. When you don’t have broadband, then some of the things are going to require going outside of the home to secure.”