Low-income

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau addressed the petitions of Cox Communications and the National Lifeline Association (NaLA)  seeking an expedited grant of a limited waiver of the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBB Program) reimbursement rules as they apply to the connected device discount.

Detroit has historically been one of the least connected cities in America, with about 40 percent of Detroit residents lacking any home internet access at all. Things are changing, though, thanks in large part to projects like the Equitable Internet Initiative (EII), a collaboration between the Detroit Community Technology Project and a network of community organizations.

Spectrum is forcing customers who are eligible for a new federal subsidy for internet service to opt into full-price plans once the subsidy runs out. The policy appears to skirt rules set forth by the Federal Communications Commission, which is running the Emergency Broadband Benefit program. The $3.2 billion emergency broadband benefit, which launched earlier this month, gives people up to $50 off of their monthly internet bill. The stopgap funding was allocated in response to the pandemic and is expected to run out within the year.

Internet access for Americans has taken on new urgency since the pandemic. Prior to it, many people without a home broadband connection could manage, perhaps using a smartphone for web surfing or taking a computer to the library to use Wi-Fi for more data-intensive applications. But the pandemic exposed the limits of wireless data plans for schoolwork or working from home, as well as the severe consequences of having limited or no access to the internet at home.

House Commerce Committee Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Communications Subcommittee Ranking Member Bob Latta (R-OH) urged Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) to schedule an oversight hearing to review the Federal Communication Commission’s implementation plans regarding key connectivity programs and their commitment to free speech.

On May 12, the Federal Communications Commission launched its Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. The program was included as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump in December 2020 to provide relief during the pandemic.

Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program enrolled more than one million households in the program's first week. Households in all 50 states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa are benefitting from the subsidy program initiated by Congress. Households can qualify several ways such as through their use of existing assistance programs like SNAP, Medicaid, Lifeline or if a child relies on reduced-price school meals programs.

Verizon strongly supports the Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefit program, and we believe in giving our customers a wide range of choices to best fit their needs. To get our program up and running quickly, Verizon made all current Fios Mix & Match plans eligible for participants in the EBB. We believe our current in market Fios Mix & Match plans, which over one million customers enjoy today, offer the most choice at the best value. These plans include no extra fees and the ability to pay only for what’s needed.

A look at the obstacles and viable solutions for improving financial inclusion, providing access to bank accounts to the unbanked population in the United States, which currently represents approximately 6% of US households, and for reducing utilization of high-cost non-bank financial products and services. The report concludes that instead of establishing a large, duplicative and potentially expensive banking infrastructure to create bank accounts through the Federal Reserve or the U.S.

The digital divide in education that was exposed by remote learning during the pandemic is likely to persist even when students return to classrooms, advocates warn. While efforts are underway to provide students with adequate internet access, advocates say the problem is unlikely to go away in the fall because remote learning will not completely go away when in-person classes resume. Advocates say that closing the digital divide requires building out infrastructure. Amina Fazlullah, director of equity policy at Common Sense Media, said infrastructure spending is needed to help bridge the d