1. Monthly archive
  2. April 2020

April 2020

Frontier Communications Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Frontier filed for bankruptcy to implement a prearranged $10 billion debt-cutting proposal backed by the telephone and internet-service provider’s bondholders. The telecommunications company is the country’s No. 7 broadband provider by subscribers and the No. 4 incumbent telephone company after AT&T, CenturyLink and Verizon Communications, a legacy of the 1984 breakup of the Ma Bell monopoly. Frontier grew quickly over the past two decades by scooping up phone networks that other companies were eager to unload.

Affordable Broadband Needed for Public Health, Economic Security

In a letter to Congressional leadership, over 80 groups urged Congress to provide a low-income broadband benefit as part of the forthcoming Phase 4 COVID-19 package. The groups are seeking $2 to 3 billion per month for the duration of the COVID-19 emergency to support access to broadband that is adequate to meet the needs of multiple people sheltering-in-place while working and learning via video technology simultaneously. To ensure essential communications service, the proposal includes:

Older Adults, Broadband and COVID-19

While COVID-19 has highlighted the deficiencies in broadband availability in the homes of our school-age kids around the country, the absence of a broadband connection for our older adults is equally concerning. Lack of internet access sets the stage for growing isolation and harm to our seniors across the country. Although broadband adoption has increased among those 65 and older in recent years, there is still a significant gap. A 2017 Pew Research revealed that over half of those 65+ have a broadband connection at home, and about 67 percent use the internet.

Rep Lawrence, Sens Stabenow and Peters Lead Bicameral Letter to Congressional Leadership on Broadband Access Amid Outbreak

The entire Democratic Michigan delegation urged Congressional Leadership to prioritize and provide funding for essential broadband programs to ensure all Americans, especially those most in need, have access to high-speed internet in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. As Congress considers priorities in the next COVID-19 relief package, the Members of Congress urged the inclusion of robust funding for the following provisions/programs to ensure Americans across the country have access to high-speed internet:

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