Benton Institute for Broadband & Society - Report on past event

Understanding and Driving Enrollment in the Affordable Connectivity Program

dclay@benton.org — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 16:59:03 +0000

Fitting the monthly cost of a broadband subscription into a low-income household budget is difficult, to say the least, because of the costs of competing necessities like lodging, food, and healthcare. These financial pressures—and unexpected expenses—keep too many people in the U.S. from subscribing to home broadband service—or cause them to drop service at times to make ends meet. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress recognized these obstacles for low-income people and created a program—first called the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program—to reduce the monthly costs of connectivity. With passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in November 2021, Congress turned the temporary Emergency Broadband Benefit Program into a longer-term subsidy. Launched in January 2022 with $14.2 billion in funding, the Federal Communications Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a critical component of the ongoing federal investment in broadband adoption. Eligible households receive $30/month (and up to $75/month on Tribal lands) to defray the cost of internet service, as well as up to $100 towards the purchase of a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers. On January 18, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society hosted a panel discussion on ACP enrollment. Drew Garner, the State Broadband Policy Advisor at Common Sense Media, moderated the panel. He began the discussion by noting the three steps low-income households must complete before they begin enjoying ACP benefits: first, they must confirm that their household is eligible to participate in the program; then they must complete an application to be enrolled in ACP; and, finally, they must choose an internet service provider and pick a plan to subscribe to.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/blog/understanding-and-driving-enrollment-affordable-conn…

Teaser:

Despite its success, ACP observers estimate that the program will run out of current funding by mid-2024, thus digital equity advocates must convince Congress to fund the program for low-income households.

Source:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Author:

Kevin Taglang

Send date:

Fri, 01/20/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 1/19/2023

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Not Available

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Thu, 01/19/2023

Coverage Type:

Analysis

Broadband Mapping By and For Communities

benton — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 16:15:25 +0000

On Monday, September 26, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society Director of Research and Fellowships Dr. Revati Prasad hosted an online panel discussion, From the Ground Up: Broadband Mapping By and for Communities, on how communities and states are collecting data on local broadband availability as the Federal Communications Commission rolls out the Broadband Data Collection (BDC) program. The panel was moderated by Dustin Loup, the Program Manager at the National Broadband Mapping Coalition, the event's co-sponsor. He framed the discussion by highlighting that inaccurate broadband deployment data has not only overestimated the percentage of U.S. households with access to broadband, it has also prevented some communities from being eligible for federal and/or state programs that subsidize broadband network buildout. Read what the panel had to say at the link below.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/blog/broadband-mapping-and-communities

Teaser:

Recapping From the Ground Up: Broadband Mapping By and For Communities

Source:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Author:

Kevin Taglang

Send date:

Mon, 10/03/2022

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 9/30/2022

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Not Available

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Fri, 09/30/2022

Coverage Type:

Reporting

Headlines Specific Topic:

Benton Foundation

Broadband in Five Years

benton — Tue, 03 May 2022 11:24:08 +0000

House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC) joined Glen Echo Group CEO Maura Corbett for a conversation at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society’s 40^th Anniversary celebration. In the wake of the unprecedented investment in broadband included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Corbett asked Clyburn where he thinks we’ll be in five years. “Oh, in five years,” Clyburn answered, “I think this is going to be a successful venture.” Representative Clyburn said attention now turns to states, like his home, South Carolina. Clyburn got a call from Governor Henry McMaster (R-SC) who said, “I'm getting ready to do the State of the State address and I'm going to be asking for a significant amount of dollars for your broadband program." “That's the way he said it. And he did. And he had already done a lot. And when we passed the infrastructure bill, he says, ‘Every residence, every business in this state, we are going to have connected in 3 to 4 years.’” Governor McMaster was the very first governor in the country to endorse Donald Trump. And Representative Clyburn is known for his influential endorsement of President Biden during the 2020 primaries. But the two see eye-to-eye on broadband.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/blog/broadband-five-years

Teaser:

“Oh, in five years, I think this is going to be a successful venture.”

Source:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Author:

Adrianne Furniss

Send date:

Wed, 05/04/2022

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 5/2/2022

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Not Available

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Publish Date:

Tue, 05/03/2022

Coverage Type:

Reporting

Agenda

Report on past event

Upcoming policy issue

Headlines Specific Topic:

Coronavirus and Connectivity

Pew

E Pluribus Unum and Universal Broadband

benton — Mon, 02 May 2022 11:31:27 +0000

On April 6, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC) joined a packed house at the First Congregational United Church of Christ in downtown Washington, DC to help the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society celebrate its 40^th anniversary. Congressman Clyburn (D-SC) is the third-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, and also serves, importantly, as chair of the House Rural Broadband Task Force. Not only was his presidential endorsement credited with nearly single-handedly changing the trajectory of the presidential race in 2020, but his development of the Accessible Affordable Internet for All Act changed the trajectory of the infrastructure bill itself. His legislation incorporated a bold broadband vision and laid out a critical set of challenges, principles, and goals. Things that every state, local policymaker, every community leader, and every broadband provider could embrace and evangelize. And he helped build the critical momentum necessary to ensure broadband became a foundational pillar of the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Representative Clyburn was joined by Maura Corbett, CEO and Founder of the Glen Echo Group, for a conversation on a range of issues. Corbett asked Congressman Clyburn about the divisions in our country and he immediately thought of the U.S Postal Service. He noted how it is in the U.S. Constitution of the United States to provide a service to connect communities. “That's what it's all about,” said Representative Clyburn. “Bring all the communities together—rural, and urban, and everything—so that we can fulfill our nation's motto: e pluribus unum. Out of many one.”

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/blog/e-pluribus-unum-and-universal-broadband

Teaser:

“That's what it's all about: Bring all the communities together—rural, and urban, and everything—so that we can fulfill our nation's motto: e pluribus unum. Out of many one.”

Source:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Author:

Adrianne Furniss

Send date:

Mon, 05/02/2022

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 4/29/2022

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Not Available

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Mon, 05/02/2022

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Happy Belated Birthday, Andrew Jay Schwartzman

benton — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 11:36:03 +0000

At our 40th Anniversary celebration on April 6, we were delighted to honor Andrew Jay Schwartzman and celebrate his 75th birthday. If you are not familiar with Andy's work, he is known to his friends, colleagues, and mentees as the “dean” of the public interest communications bar—someone who has devoted his professional life to making the communications landscape better for us all. Andy is the recent winner of the James Wilson Award, the highest honor the University of Pennsylvania Law Alumni Society bestows on its graduates—which, by coincidence, was timed perfectly to his 50^th law school reunion. The James Wilson Award is presented each year to a member of the alumni community in honor of a lifetime of service in the profession. Andy's career has been long and impactful. Happy birthday, Andy. We are so thankful for all you have done to advance public interest communications policy—and so excited that we can continue to work together to achieve broadband’s full promise and potential.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/blog/happy-belated-birthday-andrew-jay-schwartzman

Teaser:

At our 40th Anniversary celebration on April 6, we were delighted to honor Andrew Jay Schwartzman and celebrate his 75th birthday.

Source:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Author:

Adrianne Furniss

Send date:

Thu, 04/28/2022

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 4/26/2022

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Not Available

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Publish Date:

Wed, 04/27/2022

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Broadband & Democracy

benton — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 12:30:53 +0000

Technology is a tool, a tool that can be used, if distributed equitably, to improve society. At the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, we are not for broadband just for broadband’s sake. In the "Broadband & Society" part of our name, we recognize that in our increasingly digital lives, equitable access to broadband and a just society are inseparable. Broadband's potential, its promise, is not just quicker communication, but improving education, healthcare, job training and acquisition, economic development, delivering government services, and so much more. In short, we see broadband as the infrastructure of opportunity—an essential tool to ensure a thriving democracy. With this in mind, you may understand why Benton's collective heart leapt this week when leaders from around the world in government, civil society, and the private sector gathered for the first of two Summits for Democracy to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing democracies in the 21st century—and broadband was on the agenda.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/blog/broadband-and-democracy

Teaser:

Leaders from around the world in government, civil society, and the private sector gathered for the first of two Summits for Democracy to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing democracies in the 21st century—and broadband was on the agenda

Source:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Author:

Kevin Taglang

Send date:

Mon, 12/13/2021

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 12/10/2021

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Not Available

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Mon, 12/13/2021

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A First for Digital Equity and Broadband Adoption

benton — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 12:37:51 +0000

The House Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing entitled Empowering and Connecting Communities Through Digital Equity and Internet Adoption. To our recollection, it was the first Congressional hearing exploring digital equity and broadband adoption. Digital equity, if you are new to the term, is defined by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance as a condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy. Although many of us may take ubiquitous internet access for granted, at least 141 million people in the United States do not subscribe to fixed home Internet at the Federal Communications Commission’s broadband benchmark -- 25 Megabits per second download and 3 Megabits per second up (what policy wonks commonly refer to as 25/3 Mbps). The part of this divide that has garnered the most attention of late is those geographical areas (mostly rural) where broadband networks simply have yet to be deployed. But the bigger obstacles are that for too many people, a network is available but unattainable because the cost of service is too high, the price of internet-capable devices is too steep an investment, and/or they lack the skills needed to connect to and navigate the internet. More than half of American adults are “relatively hesitant” when it comes to using broadband technology. Digital equity recognizes the truly universal ambitions of broadband adoption.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/blog/first-digital-equity-and-broadband-adoption

Teaser:

Recapping Empowering and Connecting Communities Through Digital Equity and Internet Adoption

Source:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Author:

Kevin Taglang

Send date:

Fri, 01/31/2020

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 1/30/2020

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Not Available

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Publish Date:

Fri, 01/31/2020

Coverage Type:

Affordability/Cost/Price

Universal Broadband

Universal Service Fund

Lifeline/Low-Income Consumers

Rural Digital Opportunity Fund

Digital Equity and Broadband Adoption

benton — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 17:36:30 +0000

Current research suggests that low-income people can only afford to pay about $10 monthly for broadband. Anything more competes with other utility bills and the cost of food. Meeting the goal of universal connectivity and providing fixed broadband at about $10 per month requires a multi-pronged strategy - what my Benton colleague Jonathan Sallet calls an “Affordability Agenda.” It includes:

Price Transparency: Carriers should be required to submit non-promotional pricing information including equipment and other fees to the FCC, which should make that information public. The FCC or Congress should also restore the Fixed Broadband Consumer Disclosure Label. Both will help consumers make informed choices about the price, quality, and value of their broadband service.
More Competition: More competition means lower broadband prices. Even under the FCC’s overly optimistic data, nearly 30% of the country has access to no more than 2 providers at 25/3 speeds, and 95% has access to no more than 2 at speeds of 100/10. Congress should prohibit states from blocking communities that wish to build their own broadband networks and also give a bidding preference to “open access networks” when allocating deployment subsidies. These networks allow any broadband provider to provide last-mile service. An open-access network in Utah gives residents of 15 cities a choice of 10 ISPs. Most Americans can’t fathom that.
A Strong Lifeline Program: Congress should strengthen Lifeline and make it easier for the most vulnerable in society to access the program. It should make clear that Lifeline can support broadband service; restore the Lifeline Broadband Provider designation to bring new competition to the program; and give USAC the resources it needs to expedite the hard launch of the National Eligibility Verifier, which will make eligibility determinations automatic for many applicants. Policymakers should also consider providing an additional subsidy so Lifeline recipients can purchase fixed broadband. The $9.25 subsidy doesn’t go very far for the broadband needed to do research papers, apply for jobs and access telehealth services.
Low-Cost Broadband for Federally Subsidized Networks. The FCC disburses billions of dollars annually to mobile and fixed providers to build out their networks. It should require those carriers to provide a $10 a month high-speed broadband plan to low-income Americans.
Support for Access “To and Through” Community Anchor Institutions
Finally, Congress and the FCC should assist local communities’ digital inclusion efforts.

[Gigi B. Sohn is a Distinguished Fellow, Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy and Benton Senior Fellow and Public Advocate]

Benton Content:

https://www.benton.org/blog/digital-equity-and-broadband-adoption

Teaser:

Testimony before the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology

Source:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Author:

Gigi Sohn

Send date:

Thu, 01/30/2020

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 1/29/2020

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Not Available

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Publish Date:

Wed, 01/29/2020

Coverage Type:

Affordability/Cost/Price

Universal Broadband

Do We Still Care About Diversity?

benton — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 17:54:49 +0000

On Wednesday, January 15, the House Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing on diversity in the media market. In announcing the hearing, Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-PA) said, "Since the Federal Communications Commission isn’t doing enough to advance media diversity, Congress must." So what's on the agenda?

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/blog/do-we-still-care-about-diversity

Teaser:

Systemic, racist discrimination, lack of access to capital, and limited opportunities have resulted in women and people of color being shut out of ownership opportunities. The question is, will policymakers do anything about it?

Source:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Author:

Kevin Taglang

Send date:

Mon, 01/20/2020

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 1/17/2020

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Not Available

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Publish Date:

Fri, 01/17/2020

Coverage Type:

FCC struggles to convince judge that broadband isn’t “telecommunications”

benton — Sun, 03 Feb 2019 22:42:36 +0000

Federal Communications Commission General Counsel Thomas Johnson faced a skeptical panel of judges of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit as he defended the agency's repeal of net neutrality rules and deregulation of the broadband industry. Johnson struggled to explain why broadband shouldn't be considered a telecommunications service, and struggled to explain the FCC's failure to protect public safety agencies from Internet providers blocking or slowing down content. Circuit Judge Patricia Millett expressed the most skepticism of Johnson's arguments, repeatedly challenging the FCC's definition of broadband and its disregard for arguments made by public safety agencies. She also questioned the FCC's claim that the net neutrality rules harmed broadband investment. Circuit Judge Robert Wilkins also expressed some skepticism of FCC arguments, while Senior Circuit Judge Stephen Williams seemed more amenable to FCC arguments. (Judge Williams previously dissented in part from a 2016 ruling that upheld the Obama-era net neutrality rules. Now the same court is considering FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's repeal of those rules.)

Benton Content:

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/02/throttling-of-firefighters-hurts-fcc…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/01/31/this-wasnt-how-internet-was…

https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/1/18207062/fcc-net-neutrality-lawsuit-hearing-co…

https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/d-c-court-gets-earful-on-net-regulation-r…

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2019-02-01/mozilla-gets-day-in-court-to-re…

https://www.apnews.com/0cba71e6808a45e98c0ef0fdc869f0e1

https://variety.com/2019/politics/news/net-neutrality-marathon-oral-arguments-12…

https://thehill.com/policy/technology/428119-judges-grill-fcc-lawyers-over-net-n…

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/01/technology/net-neutrality-repeal-case.html

https://www.wsj.com/articles/judges-weigh-fccs-net-neutrality-rollback-in-high-s…

Teaser:

FCC General Counsel Thomas Johnson faced a skeptical panel of judges as he defended the agency's repeal of net neutrality rules and deregulation of the broadband industry.

Source:

Ars Technica

Author:

Jon Brodkin

Send date:

Mon, 02/04/2019

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 2/1/2019

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Not Available

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