The Lifeline from Digital Desert to Digital Opportunity

[Commentary] This week, the Federal Communications Commission will vote on a proposal, first articulated and championed by Commissioner Mignon Clyburn in 2014, that will make broadband Internet service more affordable for millions of low-income consumers. For these people who are some of the most vulnerable in our society, the FCC will be providing a lifeline to opportunity. There’s no argument that Internet access is essential to full participation in American society today. But 1 in 5 Americans are not connected at home. And the primary barrier to broadband adoption is cost. Less than half of the lowest-income households are using the Internet – compared to 95 percent of the wealthiest. The proposal before the FCC would transform a traditional safety net program called Lifeline, that has helped make basic and wireless telephone service affordable for millions of households, and refocus it on broadband. Lifeline modernization will turn this safety net into a trampoline that can catapult us into a new world of opportunity.