Affordability/Cost/Price
Make broadband far more affordable
We urge Congress to establish a broadband credit — call it America’s Broadband Credit — to ensure many more people can afford high-speed Internet access. Congress could set a household subsidy of $50 per month, which is roughly the cost of medium-tier broadband plans in urban settings (and it could provide a higher subsidy for tribal lands). That subsidy would allow anyone and any device in the household to be connected to the Internet, simultaneously, which is how so many families today are operating.
What Chairman Pai is Telling Congress About the End of the Keep Americans Connected Pledge
Just over 100 days ago, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that a number of broadband and telephone service providers had volunteered to take what he calls the Keep Americans Connected Pledge. Over 780 companies took the pledge "in order to ensure that Americans do not lose their broadband or telephone connectivity as a result of these exceptional circumstances." When first announced, the pledge was to last until May 12, 2020.
Starry Partners with the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles to Expand Affordable Broadband Access
Starry, a wideband hybrid fiber wireless internet service provider, is partnering with the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) to expand affordable broadband access to more than 600 households in Los Angeles’ Del Rey neighborhood. The expansion, part of the Starry Connect initiative, is a specialized low-cost broadband access program that partners with owners of public and affordable housing to make high-quality, uncapped, true broadband access available to residents for only $15 per month.
Reactions to the Accessible, Affordable, Internet for All Act
On June 24, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC) and other House Reps introduced the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act (HR 7302) which invests $100 billion to build high-speed broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved communities and ensure that the resulting internet service is affordable.
House Task Force on Rural Broadband Introduce Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act
House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC), members of the House Rural Broadband Task Force, and House Democrats introduced the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act (HR 7302). The bill would invest $100 billion to build high-speed broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved communities and ensure that the resulting internet service is affordable. The Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act would do the following:
Federal government allows use of TANF, SNAP E&T, WIOA funds to support digital inclusion
New guidance from the federal government can help skills advocates to improve digital access and equity for adult learners and workers. In particular, several federal agencies have clarified how existing policies can be used to remedy technology gaps faced by many US jobseekers and workers. What federal policies can support greater digital inclusion?
School closures have turned homes into classrooms for most of America’s students and educators. But teaching and learning online is only possible in homes with adequate broadband connections, and at least 7 million school-age children lack the broadband internet access needed to participate in online education.
Unequally disconnected: Access to online learning in the US
A new weekly Household Pulse Survey from the US Census Bureau offers a rich opportunity to quantify the impact of COVID-19 on children’s education during this time. It includes questions about the availability of digital devices and the internet in homes across the US, which allow us to explore the concern that access to distance learning is out of the reach of many of the most vulnerable students. Based on four weeks of data, our findings are bleak:
End of broadband pledge could cut lifelines for families
Internet service providers' pledges to waive fees and forgive missed payments end on June 30, likely cutting off service for some families who can't pay their bills due to the economic impact of the pandemic. Congress hasn't included funding to pay for broadband bills in its previous COVID-19 packages.
These Young Entrepreneurs Have A Plan To Bring The Internet To Detroit, The Least Connected City In America
So what if we treated the Internet like a public utility, as essential and ubiquitous as electricity or water, and piloted this in Detroit? A team of Forbes Under 30 alumni hacked at this problem; their idea: Connectivity For All, a three-step pilot program that would be a public-private partnership to create a quick-to-implement, self-sustaining system to bridge the digital divide. The team quickly realized that parts of their solution had already been figured out by local organizations — the biggest issue was funding. With that in mind, the team dreamed up of tech hubs — physical communi