Adoption

It is becoming clear that the broadband market is reaching maturity. This is already causing havoc in the industry for internet service providers that relied on year-over-year customer growth to prop up stock prices. New Street Research, a company that specializes in research in the telecommunications and technology sectors, said that it estimated that new broadband customers would grow by about 1 million this year. That’s roughly equal to the number of new households expected to be created during the year.

I recently testified at a Senate Communications Subcommittee Hearing in support of legislation to extend the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

On June 17, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, in partnership with the Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology, hosted a webinar titled The Power of Partnership: State Strategies for Digital and Educational Equity.

To bridge the digital divide in Washington and strive to meet the state's universal broadband goals, the Washington State Broadband Office (WSBO) recognizes the intrinsic link between affordability and accessibility. The State of Washington is committed to investing in universal broadband access that is affordable, reliable, scalable, and sustainable to support equitable economic development and connect every community throughout the state, enriching the lives of all Washington residents and businesses.

Across North Carolina, 63 community service, nonprofit, higher education and regional organizations will get $30 million in Digital Champion grants to help North Carolinians access and use high-speed internet.

Access to the internet via computer or smartphone is an important part of many Americans’ day-to-day lives. People use the internet for completing personal and professional tasks and for interacting with others across vast geographic distances. From browsing social media to paying bills online and countless other activities in between, access to the internet is nearly essential for many Americans.

Your written testimony noted various affiliations. Which companies that receive ACP have you or your employers received funding from since the program’s inception?

At a recent Senate Commerce Committee hearing, one of the witnesses produced a study (the EPIC study) that concluded that ACP led to inflation in broadband services. In addressing your question of which studies Congress should rely on, I think the EPIC study demonstrates the very problem you raise.

Ubiquitous high-speed fiber-based and mobile broadband availability is a key economic policy goal in the European Union and other developed countries. Policymakers seek to boost economic growth, productivity, and employment, especially in remote areas, through ambitious broadband targets and substantial public funding. This paper reviews the existing literature on high-speed broadband Internet and its socioeconomic impact on key outcome variables.

I am confident in opining that the lack of broadband in homes of children attending school will make the problems in our educational system worse, not better.  The fact that the problem of reading scores pre-dates the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) does not make it less of a problem.  Nor does it address the question of whether ACP can be helpful in addressing low reading scores, particularly as artificial intelligence develops personalized ways to assist young readers in overcoming specific decoding problems that serve as barriers to their learning to read. Again, I would urge Congr