FCC is laser-focused on erasing the digital divide

For Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, the moment is now to get the US on the right track toward ending the digital divide. That's what she's been trying to do with an influx of federal funding aimed at getting Americans connected to the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic. The crisis, which has hit low-income Americans and people of color especially hard, has brought attention to the digital divide and has spurred Congress to act, Rosenworcel said. The $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure spending package that the House of Representatives is expected to vote on this week will put $65 billion toward broadband. It will fund the deployment of broadband where it doesn't yet exist, and where broadband is available the funding will create permanent subsidy programs to help low-income Americans afford service. Additionally, the $50 monthly Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) subsidy program has helped more than 6 million Americans fund their internet access since mid-May 2021. According to a study by the New America Foundation's Open Technology Institute, the US has the highest average monthly internet prices when compared to other countries in North America, Europe and Asia. "What's become clear is that affordability is a really big issue in the digital divide," Rosenworcel said. "And we're going to need programs like the EBB to help solve it."