Benton Institute for Broadband & Society - Government & Communications

Half of ACP-Eligible Households Still Unaware of the Program

benton — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 11:27:12 +0000

After a year of operation, half of all households eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) internet subsidy are unaware of the benefit. A January 2023 survey of low-income households finds that over 50% say they have never heard of the program or do not know anything about it. Although many eligible households are unaware of ACP, the survey points to ways in which policymakers and community leaders can encourage enrollment. First, outreach can make a difference. Some 37% of eligible households that knew little about the program say they would be likely to apply with more information and 31% said they would be likely to apply if they knew whether they qualified. The other part of the picture is digital skills. The survey finds that respondents with high levels of confidence in their digital skills are nearly twice as likely to have successfully signed up for ACP than those with less confidence in their digital skills. Some 26% of those with high levels of digital skills reported that they had successfully enrolled in ACP compared with only 14% of those with low levels of digital skills. The survey also found that, among households that have enrolled in ACP for a fixed home service, most still pay something for internet service. When asked what they pay for internet service after the ACP subsidy, the median figure cited households that had signed up for fixed service was $40 per month. The sum of the ACP subsidy ($30) and the median remaining fee ($40) is in line with the average monthly bill ($75) U.S. households pay for service.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/blog/half-acp-eligible-households-still-unaware-program

Teaser:

New Survey Shows that Outreach to Trusted Anchor Institutions and Digital Skills Training can Help

Source:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Author:

Brian Whitacre

John Horrigan

Alejandro Alvarado Rojas

Hernan Galperin

Send date:

Fri, 03/17/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 3/16/2023

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Fri, 03/17/2023

Coverage Type:

Op-Ed

It’s Time to Call the Vote on Gigi Sohn for a Fully Functioning FCC

Grace Tepper — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 21:23:09 +0000

President Biden has renominated Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] to be a commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). With Alan Davidson confirmed to lead the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), it is critical that we have a fully functioning FCC to implement much of the work Congress has directed the two agencies to do. For more than a year, the FCC has been operating without a full slate of commissioners, hampering its ability to advance all of the important tasks on its agenda. This is why 350,000 people and counting have taken action in the past year by calling on the White House and Senate to act to get all commissioners confirmed, and more than 100,000 people across the country have weighed in specifically to support Ms. Sohn’s confirmation since she was first nominated in October 2021. The FCC is charged with protecting public safety; ensuring consumers have access to robust, affordable broadband service; and implementing federal spectrum policy in the public interest. Ms. Sohn needs to be voted out of the Committee this month and moved to the full Senate for a floor vote. The time for these votes is now.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/content/it%E2%80%99s-time-call-vote-gigi-sohn-fully-funct…

Teaser:

FCC nominee Gigi Sohn needs to be voted out of the Committee this month and moved to the full Senate for a floor vote. The time for these votes is now.

Source:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Send date:

Wed, 01/12/2022

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 1/11/2022

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Tue, 01/11/2022

Coverage Type:

Press Release

Agenda

Government & Communications

Internet/Broadband

Policymakers

Lawmakers Reach Historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal

Grace Tepper — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 22:15:15 +0000

President Joe Biden and the bipartisan group of lawmakers announced agreement on the details of a once-in-a-generation investment in US infrastructure, which will be taken up in the Senate for consideration. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal includes a total $550 billion in new federal infrastructure investment. The deal’s $65 billion investment ensures every American has access to reliable high-speed internet with an historic investment in broadband infrastructure deployment, just as the federal government made a historic effort to provide electricity to every American nearly one hundred years ago. The bill will also help lower prices for internet service by requiring funding recipients to offer a low-cost affordable plan, by creating price transparency and helping families comparison shop, and by boosting competition in areas where existing providers aren’t providing adequate service. It will also help close the digital divide by passing the Digital Equity Act, ending digital redlining, and creating a permanent program to help more low-income households access the internet.

Benton Content:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/07/28/fact-she…

Teaser:

President Biden and lawmakers announced agreement on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, including $65 million for broadband infrastructure deployment.

Source:

White House

Send date:

Thu, 07/29/2021

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 7/28/2021

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Wed, 07/28/2021

Coverage Type:

Press Release

Digital Divide

Government & Communications

Internet/Broadband

Affordability/Cost/Price

Infrastructure

Universal Broadband

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Grace Tepper — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 18:39:11 +0000

July 2021 brings us things to celebrate, things to denigrate, and things to absolutely deplore. On the good side, we have come to see that high-speed broadband has become an essential component of modern-day infrastructure. The ambitious broadband proposals of the Biden Administration have rightly gained strong public support, not just in one party, but both. We are also witnessing the reinvigoration of public agencies to protect the public interest, something Biden made clear in his Executive Order on competition. However, many of our most important institutions still stand in the way of needed progress. The ever-increasing dominance of consolidated and often monopolistic businesses has thwarted the kind of robust competition that an open, dynamic, and opportunity-creating economy demands. In government, the filibuster is a gag rule every bit as insidious as those John Quincy Adams spent years protesting when he went to Congress after being President.

Ugliness pervades in our rapidly deteriorating judiciary, as the increasing partisanship that bedevils too much of our court system threatens to stop needed change in its tracks. The sad state of our news and information infrastructure also fails to provide us with the facts and information citizens must have if we are to perpetuate self-government. If we are to have democracy, we must have media democracy. We need citizens—you and me—to take up this cause and organize to make sure elected officials at all levels understand that we are demanding a news and information system that serves the needs of successful self-government. We now have an opportunity to advance this goal. I hope I am right that the clouds are parting instead of gathering.

[Michael Copps served as a commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission from May 2001 to December 2011 and was the FCC's Acting Chairman from January to June 2009. In 2012, former Commissioner Copps joined Common Cause to lead its Media and Democracy Reform Initiative. Common Cause is a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organization]

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/blog/good-bad-ugly

Teaser:

The good, the bad and the ugly of communications and policy in the US as of July 2021.

Source:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Author:

Michael Copps

Send date:

Tue, 07/13/2021

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 7/12/2021

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Mon, 07/12/2021

Coverage Type:

Op-Ed

Upcoming policy issue

Digital Divide

Government & Communications

Internet/Broadband

Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship

benton — Thu, 28 May 2020 21:33:37 +0000

It is the policy of the United States to foster clear ground rules promoting free and open debate on the internet. Prominent among the ground rules governing that debate is the immunity from liability created by section 230(c) of the Communications Decency Act (section 230(c)). 47 U.S.C. 230(c). It is the policy of the United States that the scope of that immunity should be clarified: the immunity should not extend beyond its text and purpose to provide protection for those who purport to provide users a forum for free and open speech, but in reality use their power over a vital means of communication to engage in deceptive or pretextual actions stifling free and open debate by censoring certain viewpoints. In particular, subparagraph (c)(2) expressly addresses protections from “civil liability” and specifies that an interactive computer service provider may not be made liable “on account of” its decision in “good faith” to restrict access to content that it considers to be “obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing or otherwise objectionable.” It is the policy of the United States to ensure that, to the maximum extent permissible under the law, this provision is not distorted to provide liability protection for online platforms that — far from acting in “good faith” to remove objectionable content — instead engage in deceptive or pretextual actions (often contrary to their stated terms of service) to stifle viewpoints with which they disagree.

To advance this policy, all executive departments and agencies should ensure that their application of section 230(c) properly reflects the narrow purpose of the section and take all appropriate actions in this regard. In addition, within 60 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary), in consultation with the Attorney General, and acting through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), shall file a petition for rulemaking with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requesting that the FCC expeditiously propose regulations to clarify:

the interaction between subparagraphs (c)(1) and (c)(2) of section 230, in particular to clarify and determine the circumstances under which a provider of an interactive computer service that restricts access to content in a manner not specifically protected by subparagraph (c)(2)(A) may also not be able to claim protection under subparagraph (c)(1), which merely states that a provider shall not be treated as a publisher or speaker for making third-party content available and does not address the provider’s responsibility for its own editorial decisions;
the conditions under which an action restricting access to or availability of material is not “taken in good faith” within the meaning of subparagraph (c)(2)(A) of section 230, particularly whether actions can be “taken in good faith” if they are:
- deceptive, pretextual, or inconsistent with a provider’s terms of service; or
- taken after failing to provide adequate notice, reasoned explanation, or a meaningful opportunity to be heard; and
any other proposed regulations that the NTIA concludes may be appropriate to advance the policy described in subsection (a) of this section.

The head of each executive department and agency (agency) shall review its agency’s Federal spending on advertising and marketing paid to online platforms.

It is the policy of the United States that large online platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, as the critical means of promoting the free flow of speech and ideas today, should not restrict protected speech. In May of 2019, the White House launched a Tech Bias Reporting tool to allow Americans to report incidents of online censorship. In just weeks, the White House received over 16,000 complaints of online platforms censoring or otherwise taking action against users based on their political viewpoints. The White House will submit such complaints received to the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC shall consider taking action, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to prohibit unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce

The Attorney General shall establish a working group regarding the potential enforcement of State statutes that prohibit online platforms from engaging in unfair or deceptive acts or practices. The working group shall also develop model legislation for consideration by legislatures in States where existing statutes do not protect Americans from such unfair and deceptive acts and practices. The working group shall invite State Attorneys General for discussion and consultation, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law.

The Attorney General shall develop a proposal for Federal legislation that would be useful to promote the policy objectives of this order.

Benton Content:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-preventing-onlin…

Teaser:

It is the policy of the United States to foster clear ground rules promoting free and open debate on the internet.

Source:

White House

Author:

President Donald Trump

Send date:

Fri, 05/29/2020

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 5/28/2020

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Thu, 05/28/2020

Coverage Type:

Public Notice

Digital Content

Government & Communications

Censorship

Internet/Broadband

Platforms

An Office of Rural Broadband: We’ve Heard This Before

Robbie McBeath — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 17:22:29 +0000

On Feb 12, 2019 Sen Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced The Office of Rural Broadband Act in the Senate (S 454), which would establish an Office of Rural Broadband in the Federal Communications Commission. Sen Cramer’s Office of Rural Broadband Act is the latest effort to coordinate rural broadband planning and policy. As I recently wrote for the New York Times, this Office of Rural Broadband is best placed inside the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) of the US Dept of Agriculture, rather than the Federal Communications Commission, as S.454 proposes. RUS has a mandate to champion rural America, and has offices and divisions in every state. RUS understands the needs of rural communities better than any federal department or agency. Placing the Office of Rural Broadband here, rather than at the FCC, would also recall an earlier time in our nation’s history when we trusted USDA to connect our rural communities with electricity and telephony through the Rural Electrification Administration, the precursor to RUS. What S 454, its forerunners, and companion pieces of proposed legislation, demonstrate is not a lack of drive to solve the problem, but rather the political will to follow through. Legislation is proposed and funding allocated, but a centralized strategy to shepherd these initiatives through to fruition remains vexingly absent. The Office of Rural Broadband Act has the potential to do this, but for it to work, we need to give this dog both bark and bite.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/blog/office-rural-broadband-we%E2%80%99ve-heard

Teaser:

The Office of Rural Broadband is best placed inside the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) of the US Dept of Agriculture, rather than the FCC, as S.454 proposes.

Source:

Benton Foundation

Author:

Christopher Ali

Send date:

Tue, 03/19/2019

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 3/18/2019

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Mon, 03/18/2019

Coverage Type:

Op-Ed

Government & Communications

Internet/Broadband

Universal Broadband

How an Investigation of Fake FCC Comments Snared a Prominent DC Media Firm

benton — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 12:59:41 +0000

Millions of records that the Federal Communications Commission’s top lawyer once fought to hold back from state law enforcement officials now serve as key evidence in a year-long probe into cases of Americans being impersonated during the agency’s latest net neutrality proceeding. Analysis of the data would lead investigators to consider, as one of many potential sources of fraud, the owner of an influential Washington (DC) newspaper, CQ Roll Call, whose advocacy business may have served as a pipeline for one of the most notorious of all fake comments. Internal FCC logs document in exhaustive detail each time an organization such as CQ—the advocacy side of the company—submitted a comment using the FCC’s API system. What’s more, they include the IP addresses of the uploaders themselves, as well as timestamps that record, down to the millisecond, precisely when floods of comments came pouring in from any given source.

Benton Content:

https://gizmodo.com/how-an-investigation-of-fake-fcc-comments-snared-a-prom-1832…

Teaser:

Millions of records that the FCC’s top lawyer once fought to hold back from state law enforcement officials now serve as key evidence in a year-long probe into cases of Americans being impersonated during the agency’s latest net neutrality proceeding.

Source:

Gizmodo

Author:

Dell Cameron

Jason Prechtel

Send date:

Fri, 02/22/2019

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 2/21/2019

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Fri, 02/22/2019

Coverage Type:

Reporting

Cybersecurity and Cyberwarfare

Government & Communications

Civic Engagement

Gov performance

Open government

Stop Fanning The Flames

Robbie McBeath — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 23:46:23 +0000

The power of communication and the exchange of ideas were starkly brought home recently as news of bombs being delivered to Americans’ homes and businesses, and the murder of worshipers in Pittsburgh dominated headlines everywhere. President Donald Trump and some of his Republican allies appear to be actively engaged in a feedback loop with extremists who participate in the darkest online forums. By empowering the views found there, they condone a widening of the boundaries of acceptable speech and turn a blind eye to bigotry, xenophobia, and hate. For each of us, there’s a responsibility to hold our leaders accountable. Are they dampening the flames or fanning them? Are they using extinguishers – or matches? If we want to return to the mutual good faith and collaborative spirit that characterize a healthy democracy, we need leaders who will use their positions of power and influence to tone down the rancor and smother the kind of speech that incited the extremism and violence that led to the tragedies of Charleston and Pittsburgh.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

https://benton.org/blog/stop-fanning-flames

Teaser:

President Donald Trump and some of his Republican allies appear to be actively engaged in a feedback loop with extremists who participate in the darkest online forums.

Source:

Benton Foundation

Author:

Adrianne Furniss

Send date:

Tue, 11/06/2018

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 11/5/2018

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Mon, 11/05/2018

Coverage Type:

Editorial

Digital Content

Government & Communications

Internet/Broadband

Platforms

Inclusion and Civic Engagement in Public Technology Building and Planning

benton — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 11:39:05 +0000

Whether they are Wi-Fi kiosks, urban sensors, fiber networks, or built-from-scratch “smart” neighborhoods, new urban technology deployments are under the microscope. Despite the potential of these projects to drive innovation and economic growth, they are often met with mixed reception and a myriad of justifiable questions. Take the Quayside project in Toronto led by Sidewalk Labs. Concerned residents teamed together to create a shared list of questions about incentives, privacy, diversity, and data ownership: “Who will own/control/have access to the data that is captured by the sensors deployed in this project? How should the issues of “consent” and “contract” be approached in the smart city? How do we define the community that needs to be consulted and engaged on this project?” This grassroots-generated skepticism points to a real need for better-designed processes around local, smart city deployments — processes that safeguard resident opinions, resident consent, and procedural justice as urban innovation is pursued.

[Denise Linn Riedl is the Manager of Ecosystem Development for the City Tech Collaborative in Chicago and a Benton Fellow]

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/blog/inclusion-and-civic-engagement-public-technology-bui…

Teaser:

How can we build inclusive, people-centered smart cities?

Source:

Benton Foundation

Author:

Denise Linn Riedl

Send date:

Tue, 10/09/2018

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 10/8/2018

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Tue, 10/09/2018

Coverage Type:

Analysis

Diversity

Government & Communications

This is the moment all of Trump’s anti-media rhetoric has been working toward

benton — Thu, 23 Aug 2018 16:46:08 +0000

Don’t believe your eyes and ears. Believe only me. That has been President Trump’s message to the public for the past two years, pounded in without a break: The press is the enemy. The news is fake. President Donald Trump has done his best to prepare the ground for a moment like Aug 21. In a divided, disbelieving nation, will this really turn out to be the epic moment it looks like? Or will Trump’s intense, years-long campaign to undermine the media — and truth itself — pay off now, in the clutch?

After all, this ugly saga will reach its resolution in the court of public opinion, as political matters often do: in the midterm elections, in the will of Congress, in the ways that citizens talk to their representatives in their home districts. “If what we learned today doesn’t matter to people, what will?” asked CNN's Chris Cuomo. It’s an excellent question, and the answer may be “almost nothing.”

Benton Content:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/this-is-the-moment-all-of-trumps-…

Teaser:

Don’t believe your eyes and ears. Believe only me.

Source:

Washington Post

Author:

Margaret Sullivan

Send date:

Fri, 08/24/2018

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 8/23/2018