Digital Equity/Digital Inclusion

This paper examines the association between Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) awards, disability, and technology access. The paper found that:  

On behalf of Color Of Change, one of the nation’s leading racial justice organizations with millions of members nationwide, and The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 230 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States, we write to express our complete support for [Benton Senior Fellow and Public Advocate] Gigi Sohn’s nomination to serve as Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner.

The Federal Communications Commission is an important institution. It oversees a huge input to our information economy: Spectrum. Fortunately, three decades ago, we developed a method for allocating spectrum that has garnered bipartisan praise, been copied around the world, underlaid two Nobel prizes, and is arguably the most successful communications policy innovation ever. Unfortunately, Congress can’t decide how to reauthorize that auction authority. Congressional dysfunction? Alas, not weird. The stakes are high: billions in investment capital, 10x more in economic impact.

Three things we are doing at the Federal Communications Commission right now to help get us to the next generation of innovation around the globe.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which includes the Digital Equity Act of 2021 (DEA), establishes a broad framework and significant funding to advance broadband connectivity and digital equity. The law recognizes key factors and populations to address when striving for digital equity. To fully realize the full benefits of digital technology for individuals, communities, and society at large additional insights are needed. The Digital Opportunities Compass is an holistic framework for broadband and digital equity planning, implementation and evaluation.

Vice President Kamala Harris (D-CA) highlighted the impact of American Rescue Plan Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act investments to date while announcing new milestones in the effort to increase access to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet and close the digital divide including:

Cable broadband providers told the Federal Communications Commission that preventing digital discrimination in the provision of broadband services is a laudable goal but that they already offer equal access to high-speed service, and the proof is in the data. The FCC asked how it could “prevent internet providers from engaging in digital discrimination,” which suggests there is a problem that needs fixing. NCTA-the Internet & Television Association said that both FCC and census data make it clear that “cable broadband networks are available across providers’ service areas to homes and b

In the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Congress recognized that digital discrimination is a real and present problem for many people and charged the Federal Communications Commission with developing rules to prevent and eliminate it. NDIA and Common Sense Media submitted comments in response to the FCC’s recent Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for the forthcoming digital discrimination rules. Examples of discriminatory practices to look out for: Pricing, Performance, Customer service, Network maintenance, Contract terms and conditions, and Marketing.

In 2016, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development published research performed by Strategic Networks Group and NEO Connect aimed at answering four basic questions: 1) What is the technical definition of broadband? 2) How many Tennesseans do not have access to broadband? 3) What is the cost of bringing broadband to Tennesseans that do not have it?

Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera (D-CO) announced a statewide initiative to increase awareness of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a long-term benefit to help eligible households pay for high-speed internet.