Policy expert Blair Levin: We need to look beyond the rural access divide

Regardless of the final form it ends up taking, the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program is poised to play a key role in addressing rural connectivity. But the rural access divide isn’t the only issue we need to worry about, according to New Street Research Policy Analyst Blair Levin. It's “inevitable” that President Donald Trump and SpaceX’s Elon Musk will soon declare “mission accomplished” in closing the rural digital divide, Levin said. Though there’s plenty of debate around which technology is the best for the job, it’s honestly a “very achievable goal.” The bigger question is what comes next. Addressing these problems hinges on whether the Universal Service Fund (USF), which the Supreme Court is currently reviewing, survives. USF is supported by contributions from telecommunications companies, which in turn fund four programs: High Cost, E-Rate, Lifeline and Rural Health Care. However, that contribution base has shrunk over the years as more people switched to broadband while using less traditional telephone services. “Can a reform of universal service, which is absolutely necessary, be done with a Congress that doesn’t care about rural access and only cares about E-Rate and low income?” Levin asked. He doubts it.