2021 – Closing the Homework Gap Together

Four specific steps government, with industry’s cooperation, can take to make availability and affordability a reality for every American:

1. Identify where broadband is unavailable with geographic precision: Congress appropriated $65 million for the Federal Communications Commission to implement more accurate broadband mapping.  In the wake of the FCC’s recent successful $9 billion initiative to fund rural broadband deployment (known as the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction) – and with more than $11B set aside for the next phase of that effort – better maps are the next critical step. Accurate maps will allow us to precisely target subsidy dollars to close any remaining rural broadband gaps.
2. Modernize the Federal Communication Commission’s Lifeline program: It is time to modernize and digitize the Lifeline program.  Government assistance programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), allow participants to seamlessly receive benefits and make payments electronically via an electronic card system.  The Lifeline program should do the same.  Also, to be effective, the Lifeline subsidy must be updated to support the full cost of broadband connectivity. These two reforms are essential to bringing Lifeline into the broadband age.
3. Give equal weight to wired and wireless solutions: With wireless technologies offering greater performance, wireless broadband solutions are increasingly preferred to close both affordability and availability gaps. Proposed solutions should therefore continue to support connectivity goals in a technology-neutral manner so long as they can meet defined performance criteria.  Being overly prescriptive on technology solutions could result in some homes being on the wrong side of the digital divide.
4. Enact a policy framework that incorporates sustainable funding mechanisms: The government must act to make essential broadband support sustainable.  Lifeline funding, in particular, must be put on more stable footing. In lieu of placing a tax on an ever-shrinking base of traditional interstate voice services, we have advocated for direct Congressional appropriations to meet the growing broadband affordability needs.