Broadband for America’s Future: A Vision for the 2020s

The Roanoke Times published an op-ed by Jonathan Sallet on August 26. Jon urges the federal government to support state and local governments to address their broadband challenges: "The magnitude of the challenge requires that all the players — federal, state and local — take the field. The sooner we start to build a comprehensive broadband agenda, informed by state and local leadership and innovation, the sooner we will reap the benefits that will come when every person can use a robust internet connection at home."

In a July 18, 2020 article Doing Schoolwork in the Parking Lot Is Not a Solution, the New York Times' editorial staff cited Jon's research: "One study found that poorer Americans can afford only $10 a month for internet service. But such service is typically at far slower speeds than what is available in more affluent neighborhoods, or for free at Starbucks." The study links to Our Broadband Moment–Acting Now and Looking Forward.

The digital divide has left over 40 million Americans without access to reliable internet. The pandemic has kickstarted initiatives to change that. Jon Sallet said, "These are problems that existed for a long time but what this crisis has done is fast-forward us into a broadband future."

On June 17, 2020, Rev. Al Sharpton, FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, and other civil rights leaders published the article Broadband Access Is A Civil Right We Can’t Afford To Lose—But Many Can’t Afford To Have  in Essence. "There is a broadband emergency in America," the article begins. "The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the digital divide in an unprecedented way. As civil rights leaders and a commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, we are calling on our nation’s leadership to enact a robust connectivity plan to address the immediate and future needs of marginalized communities."

They wrote, "A recent study indicates that more than 18 million households lack broadband simply because it is too expensive. An affordable broadband option will help ease the burdens on people who struggle to make ends meet. Research shows that low-income families can only afford to pay around $10 a month for broadband, which is roughly the price point of many Internet offerings targeted toward low-income consumers. We must expand these offerings and remove barriers to participation," which links to Jon's Creating an Affordability Agenda.

On the June 1, 2020 episode of "Innovation Files," a podcast from the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, hosts Rob Atkinson and Jackie Whisman spoke with Larry Downes and Blair Levin about their recent article for Aspen Institute entitled "The Internet After COVID-19: Will We Mind the Gaps?" 

Atkinson incorrectly claimed Sallet suggested that "we should have subsidized two networks in every area" and asked Downes and Levin for their thoughts. To listen to the episode or to view the transcript, see: What the COVID Crisis Teaches Us About Broadband Policy, With Special Guests Larry Downes and Blair Levin.

On May 27, 2020, former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler published 5 steps to get the internet to all Americans: COVID-19 and the importance of universal broadband. He wrote:

"We hear often about the 'digital divide' in America. The challenge is greater than that, however. It is what Jon Sallet calls the 'digital chasm'—a cluster of digital divides that are larger, longer lasting, multi-faceted, and harder to close. Once and for all, it is time to attack the digital chasm. Any such effort begins with fixing America’s connectivity problem, both in terms of access and affordability."

He also cited Broadband for America’s Future: A Vision for the 2020s for the study that found low-income Americans can only afford to pay about $10 per month for broadband. He went on to write: 

"In the 21st century, a low-income subsidy for internet access is as important as telephone access was in the 20th century. Americans availing themselves of the program should be able to use it to obtain service from any qualified broadband provider, not just a telephone company. And the provision of such a low-income program should be a requirement if a company receives federal support to expand broadband."

The time has come for Congress to establish a broadband credit—call it America’s Broadband Credit (ABC)—to ensure that people who can’t afford broadband can use broadband. The debate on whether broadband is a luxury or an essential connection to society is over.

On April 26, 2020, the Boston Globe editorial board published A New Chance to Close the Digital Divide. The article stresses the need for policy solutions that focus on the digital divide in urban areas, advocating for solutions that focus on cost. The editorial board suggests expanding the Lifeline program, which provides subsidies of $9.25 per month for either fixed-line broadband at home or a wireless phone plan. They wrote:

To be eligible for Lifeline, a household must earn no more than 135 percent of the federal poverty level, or $29,000 for a family of three. But Jon Sallet, a senior fellow at the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society, says that 135 percent cutoff should be higher — as it is for other federal anti-poverty programs — given the increasing importance of broadband for economic development and public health.

On April 9, Jon led a webinar for Merit Networks where he discussed the long-term prospect for ensuring that everyone in American has access to high-performance broadband, on the continuing importance of state and local leadership in broadband, and on short-term federal action.

To mark the National Broadband Plan's 10 year anniversary, Jon joined others in discussing what should be on the agenda for a plan for the next decade.

 "The National Broadband Plan showed the way and it has stood the test of time. But we are being tested anew and we must, as a nation, respond with a broadband plan robust enough to withstand the challenges and seize the opportunities of this new, and already frighteningly novel, decade."

On April 8, the Fiber Broadband Association hosted a panel to examine the effect of COVID-19 on our Internet networks.

[Account required to view recording]

Public Knowledge hosted a webinar to discuss the specific regulatory and legislative solutions the FCC and Congress should consider to help America overcome the challenges from the coronavirus.

Community anchor institutions can serve as a launching pad for community-based broadband access and, in places where broadband has already been deployed, more broadband competition. As Joanne Hovis explains:

Policymakers should help enable community anchor institutions to connect to their users wherever they are.

Congress and the Federal Communications Commission should expand E-Rate to provide wireless access to students of lower-income families who do not have broadband at home. At current prices, $100 million would support the full cost of LTE service to between and two million and three million K-12 students. (Such efforts should be affordable given that the E-Rate program is currently running about $1.3 billion below its $3.9 billion budget cap.)

An excerpt of Broadband for America's Future was featured in Broadband Communities Magazine January/February 2020 edition. 

"Today, too many people in the United States face barriers that keep them from maximizing the opportunities from fixed broadband connections that should run to everyone’s home. To overcome these barriers, leaders – notably at the state and local levels – are executing policies to boost deployment of networks where adequate broadband does not exist; competition, which will increase choices and spur lower prices and better-quality service to residents; and affordability and adoption for those who wish to have broadband in their homes but lack the means or the skills to acquire it. They also are working to support and enhance community anchor institutions, such as schools and libraries, that increasingly serve users wherever they are."

To meet the challenge of providing fixed broadband at roughly $10 per month requires implementation of a variety of strategies. Here are seven ways governments can tackle the affordability challenge:

1. Spur Competition
2. Protect and Strengthen the Lifeline Program
3. Provide Assistance to Broadband Providers’ Low-Income Programs
4. Require Affordable Tiers of Broadband Service When Supporting Deployment
5. Educate and Protect Consumers
6. Support Programs That Make Low-Cost Computing Devices Available
7. Provide Access Via Community Anchor Institutions

Jon's speech at The Capitol Forum's Annual Tech, Media, & Telecom Competition Conference on December 5, 2019. 

We should pay more attention to the lack of competition in the provision of fixed broadband to homes and small businesses.

1. Fixed-broadband competition is very, very limited. That’s a problem for consumers and for their communities.
2. Pro-competition policies can tackle that problem by stimulating competition that delivers competitive benefits to consumers – more savings, more quality, more innovation.
3. The correct way to think about greater competition is not to ask simply what is most profitable for any one company; it is to ask what best serves consumers.

The benefits from the use of High-Performance Broadband accrue to the broader economic and social benefit of America. Limited broadband competition—without regard to its cause—therefore curbs the economic and social progress that broadband can help deliver.

Home broadband subscription rates continue to lag in rural areas, holding back local economies and access to telemedicine. The deployment of broadband networks to rural areas echoes the challenges earlier generations had ensuring that electrical networks and telephone service reached everyone. The solutions those earlier generations employed provide us lessons for today’s broadband challenges. 

See Also: Georgia Authorizes Electric Cooperatives to Deliver Rural Broadband. Bill Verner, Senior Vice President with Georgia Electric Membership Corp., discusses how Georgia is using electric cooperatives to reduce the digital divide.

Jon's speech at the Broadband Communities Conference on October 30, 2019. 

How does policy help us reach our broadband goal? Policymakers should use these four building blocks to create and further broadband policy.

• Deployment of networks where adequate broadband does not exist;
• Competition increases choices and spurs lower prices and better-quality service;
• Affordability and Adoption for those who lack the means or the skills to use broadband; and
• Community Anchor Institutions, such as schools and libraries, increasingly serve their users wherever those users are.

Many rural communities understand the importance of broadband to their future and they are taking matters into their own hands. For example, drive about 80 miles from Washington, D.C., and you can find yourself in the northern portion of Queen Anne’s County, Maryland. The research Jon has done for Broadband for America’s Future: A Vision for the 2020s led him to observe Queen Anne’s County's work to connect.

An Article by John Windhausen, Executive Director of the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition.

"Broadband for America's Future" author and Benton Fellow Jonathan Sallet previewed its policy recommendations for community anchor institution (CAI) connectivity at the 9th Annual SHLB Conference. Sallet identified the SHLB Coalition’s “To and Through” philosophy as a fundamental principle for CAI broadband policy. To put it simply, connecting anchors to high-quality broadband enables them to serve as jumping off points to extend connectivity to surrounding residents and businesses in the community. 

Unfortunately, some of the dialogue around closing the digital divide focuses on connecting residents and businesses, while completely ignoring the needs of CAIs. “Broadband for America’s Future” recognizes that connectivity for anchor institutions isn’t simply a goal of broadband deployment, but a necessary step in closing the digital divide. The report clearly shows we will not solve the digital divide unless policymakers and industry acknowledge the valuable role schools, libraries, and healthcare providers play in making broadband available and affordable to their surrounding communities. Learn more about the Benton Institute and read the full text of the report here.

Broadband for America's Future: A Vision for the 2020s highlights Next Century Cities’ member stories, documenting their ability to overcome unique challenges with creative solutions. In a blog post, Next Century Cities said the report is, "sure to bring Next Century Cities’ member municipalities and others a step closer to a shared goal of ensuring that every community has access to high-speed connectivity. Sallet offers a masterful account of the policy landscape while conveying a sense of urgency for broadband infrastructure to be a national priority. His report weaves together policy analysis, impact stories, and thoughtful recommendations."

Jon's speech at AnchorNETS: 9th Annual SHLB Conference on October 17, 2019. 

Based on what we’ve learned, we’ve formulated three basic principles for community anchor institution broadband policy.

• First, community anchor institutions need access to competitively-priced, High-Performance Broadband, and they deserve the discretion to make informed choices about what best serves their communities.
• Second, broadband is needed to connect community anchor institutions with their users wherever they may be.
• Third, community anchor institutions can serve as launching pads for communitywide broadband access and, in places where broadband has already been deployed, more broadband competition.

Over the last year or so, we've been speaking with people around the country about how communities are addressing their broadband needs. We know that community anchor institutions — schools, libraries, healthcare providers and others — play a key role in bringing service to broadband deserts. Our friends at the American Library Association (ALA) alerted us to how the Middle Rio Grande and Jemez-Zia Pueblo Tribal Consortia are connecting pueblos in New Mexico. As the release of our report nears, we think it is important to share some of the innovative solutions that we've heard.