On May 12, the Federal Communications Commission will launch the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, which will have internet service providers give low-income Americans who qualify up to $50 off per month for broadband service. Advocates for older adults say the government's new broadband subsidies are a good step towards closing the digital divide — but that much more will need to be done to get them on the internet. One problem is that the subsidy money could run out within a year, at which point broadband pricing could go right back up, says Angela Siefer, executive director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance. But a bigger issue, Siefer says, is that many older Americans lack basic internet skills and that some have security concerns keeping them offline altogether. "Digital literacy is a really huge issue," Siefer says. Vivian Nava-Schellinger, director of national and community partnerships and network activation at the National Council on Aging, says: "It's not just about giving seniors broadband access. It's also about giving them the information they need to engage safely online." 

In Indiana, 12.4% of Hoosiers live in areas where there is no broadband infrastructure that provides minimally acceptable speeds. Where broadband infrastructure is available, broadband may be too expensive, and 16% of Indiana households do not have an internet subscription. Joshua Wells, an informatics professor at Indiana University South Bend, said that the internet “is at a stage where we have to think of it as a vital utility.” 

On April 20, Gov Eric Holcomb (R-IN) signed a law that will direct $250 million to expand broadband access to schools and rural health clinics that don’t have access to 1,000 mbps download speeds. The law also creates a grant program, particularly for Hoosier students, unable to afford high-speed internet access once it is extended to their communities. Indiana State Rep. Ed Soliday (R-Valparaiso) said he drafted the bill to address the greatest need for internet access in the state. The pandemic has shown that students and health clinics need reliable internet access, Rep Soliday said. Rep Soliday, who has worked on broadband legislation in previous sessions, said the challenges of expanding broadband is securing the supply and finding the trained workforce needed for installation. “People don’t realize how expensive and how labor intensive it is,” Rep Soliday said.

The Federal Communications Commission announced its latest efforts to make mid-band spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band (3550-3700 MHz) available for 5G and other advanced wireless services to a diverse array of operators, including actions that will enable commercial deployments in the 3550-3650 MHz band segment in Puerto Rico, Guam, and American Samoa for the first time. After close coordination with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Department of Defense, the FCC has taken the following three actions related to 3.5 GHz Environmental Sensing Capability (ESC) and Spectrum Access Systems (SAS) approvals:

• Approved new and updated ESC sensor deployment and coverage plans of four ESC operators – CommScope Inc, Google, Federated Wireless Inc, and Key Bridge Wireless LLC, clearing the way for commercial access to the 3550-3650 MHz portion of the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) in Puerto Rico and Guam for the first time.
• Approved Federated Wireless to expand its SAS operations to cover the 3550- 3650 MHz portion of the 3.5 GHz band in American Samoa consistent with protection criteria described by NTIA in a letter filed with the FCC on April 26, 2021, which will enable the first CBRS deployments in that portion of the band in American Samoa.
• Conditionally approved three entities that applied during the Second Wave SAS application window – Fairspectrum LLC, Nokia, and RED Technologies, completing the first phase of the two-stage SAS application review process established by the FCC.

What to do if you’re a globe-spanning tech titan that wants to connect millions or even billions of devices, but you don’t want the hassle or cost of dealing with telecommunication companies, satellite operators, or cable companies for connectivity? You use the devices your customers have already purchased—and brought into homes, businesses and public spaces—to make an end-run around traditional wireless networks. Apple and Amazon are transforming the devices we own into the equivalent of little cell towers or portable Wi-Fi hot spots that can connect other gadgets and sensors to the internet. They have already switched on hundreds of millions—with many more on the way. Instead of serving as wireless hubs solely for your own smartwatches, lights and sensors, your iPhones and Echo speakers can help other people’s gadgets stay connected as well—whether you know it or not.