On February 14, 2019, 11 US senators wrote to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai with concerns about broadband mapping problems. They asked the following questions:

• Do you see validity in using a continuous public feedback mechanism to help improve broadband coverage maps and data?
• Do you think it is feasible for the FCC to implement a public feedback mechanism to help validate Form 477 data?
  • If so, what would that process look like?
  • If not, what specifically can the FCC use to help supplement Form 477 data in determining where there is broadband coverage in the United States?

On April 26, Chairman Pai replied saying:

In your letter, you ask whether a continuous public feedback mechanism will improve the Commission’s broadband coverage maps and its Form 477 data. I believe it could. Indeed, as you may know, the Commission’s Speed Test App is one-way consumers can currently participate in collecting data about broadband deployment, and it has proven to be a useful tool for assessing service availability. I’ve asked Commission staff to look into other ways to collect and use accurate data from many sources—including consumers themselves—to assemble a more reliable map. We are interested in developing methods for the submission of reliable, consumer-driven data in order to better inform the Commission’s decision making in this area. We would be happy to receive any input you or your staff might have on how to establish and implement such methods.

Even as many aspects of the digital divide have narrowed over time, the digital lives of lower- and higher-income Americans remain markedly different. 

Roughly three-in-ten adults with household incomes below $30,000 a year (29%) don’t own a smartphone. More than four-in-ten don’t have home broadband services (44%) or a traditional computer (46%). And a majority of lower-income Americans are not tablet owners. By comparison, each of these technologies are nearly ubiquitous among adults in households earning $100,000 or more a year. Higher-income Americans are also more likely to have multiple devices that enable them to go online. Roughly two-thirds of adults living in high-earning households (64%) have home broadband services, a smartphone, a desktop or laptop computer and a tablet, compared with 18% of those living in lower-income households. 

With fewer options for online access at their disposal, many lower-income Americans are relying more on smartphones. As of early 2019, 26% of adults living in households earning less than $30,000 a year are “smartphone-dependent” internet users – meaning they own a smartphone but do not have broadband internet at home. This represents a substantial increase from 12% in 2013. In contrast, only 5% of those living in households earning $100,000 or more fall into this category in 2019. This reliance on smartphones also means that the less affluent are more likely to use them for tasks traditionally reserved for larger screens.

Two areas that I see as evolving and critical to the continued success of the satellite industry – spectrum access and public advocacy. The spectrum challenges we face are not limited to the satellite sector, and we have to think bigger in our interconnected spectrum economy. That’s why in October, President Trump directed the Secretary of Commerce, working through NTIA, to develop and implement a comprehensive, balanced and forward-looking National Spectrum Strategy. We anticipate delivering the national strategy [in the summer of 2019], the bottom line that we all need to figure out is how we settle on more efficient allocations, more efficient use of the spectrum, and better ways to define, collaborate, and coordinate our realistic, forward-looking spectrum needs.