Cox interested in participating in Emergency Broadband Benefit

Cox urges the Federal Communications Commission to consider the following principles in adopting rules to effectuate the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program: (1) allow customers to apply the benefit to their existing broadband service or other broadband service of their choice; (2) maximize consumers’ opportunities to select service from the providers of their choice; and (3) provide benefit certainty for consumers and providers regarding the termination of the program. On item #2, Cox thinks the FCC should:

• make clear that eligible telecommunications carriers (“ETCs”) may serve as participating providers in the Emergency Broadband Benefit program throughout their service footprints even if providers do not hold ETC status in all of its footprint
• allow consumers to choose their EBB provider by requiring consumers to affirmatively elect to participate in a provider’s EBB Program; providers should not be permitted to automatically enroll customers
• streamline the qualification process, and
• facilitate participation by making clear that the Emergency Broadband Benefit program is a federal one.