The FCC Needs a Complete Picture of the Digital Divide

There is an old vaudeville-era joke about diners advertising “blue plate specials” with eye-catching, low prices. The trick was that a “blue plate special with food” cost a whole lot more. We don’t see blue plate specials advertised these days, but this particular sleight of hand endures, strangely enough, in how the Federal Communications Commission wants to define the digital divide. Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires the FCC to determine each year whether broadband is "being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion.” In 2024, the FCC’s assessment was holistic—including broadband affordability, adoption, availability, and equitable access—the plate with the food. Unfortunately, the current FCC is backing away from that approach and wants Americans to be satisfied with an empty blue plate. The proposed approach reduces the measure to simply building, or planning to build, the infrastructure alone. We think that's a big mistake.