Tuesday, January 12, 2021
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House Commerce Committee Leaders Demand Answers from Internet Companies Regarding Raising Prices and Imposing Data Caps During COVID-19 Pandemic
House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-PA), and Representative Jerry McNerney (D-CA) sent letters today to nine internet service providers (ISPs) questioning their commitment to consumers amid ISPs raising prices and imposing data caps during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawmakers explained that after committee members wrote to these same companies in March to express how crucial it was that families have reliable, affordable broadband during this historic time, almost all announced plans to introduce or expand affordable service offerings, free months of service, opening of Wi-Fi hotspots, and the waiver of data caps. They likewise announced they were taking a voluntary pledge, led by the Federal Communications Commission, to keep customers connected regardless of whether they fall behind on payments. Since then, however, some of those companies have raised prices and imposed or expanded data caps on consumers. As part of their ongoing oversight efforts, the Committee is demanding answers to a series of questions, including:
- Did the company participate in the FCC’s “Keep Americans Connected” pledge?
- Has the company increased prices for fixed or mobile consumer internet and fixed or phone service since the start of the pandemic, or do they plan to raise prices on such plans within the next six months?
- Prior to March 2020, did any of the company’s service plans impose a maximum data consumption threshold on its subscribers?
- Since March 2020, has the company modified or imposed any new maximum data consumption thresholds on service plans, or do they plan to do so within the next six months?
- Did the company stop disconnecting customers’ internet or telephone service due to their inability to pay during the pandemic?
- Does the company offer a plan designed for low-income households, or a plan established in March or later to help students and families with connectivity during the pandemic?
- Beyond service offerings for low-income customers, what steps is the company currently taking to assist individuals and families facing financial hardship due to circumstances related to COVID-19?
Letters went to Altice USA, AT&T, CenturyLink/Lumen, Charter Communications, Comcast Cable Communications, Cox Communications, Frontier Communications, T-Mobile US, Verizon Communications
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $16 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in Illinois, Oregon and South Carolina.:
- Adams TelSystems Inc. will use a $1.6 million ReConnect grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network. This network will connect 441 people, 34 farms and four businesses to high-speed broadband internet in Adams Count (IL).
- Casco Communications will use a $6.6 million ReConnect grant and a $6.6 million ReConnect loan to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network. This network will connect 5,265 people, 32 businesses, 13 farms and two public schools to high-speed broadband in Linn and Polk counties (OR).
- Lancaster Telephone Company will use a $1.6 million grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network. This network will connect 5,574 people, 20 businesses, 17 farms and three educational facilities to high-speed broadband internet in Lancaster and Chester counties (SC).
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the necessity of broadband became incontrovertible. Attending school, working from home, visiting a doctor, and accessing government services all relied on reliable broadband connections. For many, bridging the digital divide emerged as an even-more-urgent priority. We’ve tracked the stories that best explain the complexities of the digital divide and the crucial policy responses. Here’s our list.
Now is time for the Federal Communications Commission to restructure its fixed broadband definitions so that they better reflect consumer demand and market realities and are more resilient to the accelerating pace of technological change. In addition, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development (Broadband Commission) should lead an effort to develop globally-harmonized and future-proof broadband definitions, that do not continually relegate people in some countries to second class connectivity. Complementary, but not substitutable, mobile broadband is not the subject of this blog, but a similar assessment of its definition may be warranted.
[Founder and CEO of The Vernonburg Group. Founder of Microsoft Airband Initiative]
The storming of the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump is expected to turbocharge Congressional efforts to regulate big tech—and many lawmakers are expected to focus on scaling back the liability shield that protects internet companies. The Capitol incursion, some of which was planned and discussed in advance on social media, has hardened many Democrats’ view that a lack of tech-platform regulation is undermining democracy. Georgia’s election of two Democratic Senators shifted a divided Congress to Democrats’ control, improving the chances of passing legislation targeting consumer-data privacy, tech companies’ market power, and the liability shield known as Section 230. “The bottom line is that the odds of legislative action on privacy, antitrust and 230 just went up significantly,” said Blair Levin, a policy analyst with equity research firm New Street Research. “The party that wants to legislate now has the power to put a bill on the Senate floor, and on all those issues there are Republicans likely to join with Democrats.”
Benton (www.benton.org) provides the only free, reliable, and non-partisan daily digest that curates and distributes news related to universal broadband, while connecting communications, democracy, and public interest issues. Posted Monday through Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments, policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are factually accurate, their sometimes informal tone may not always represent the tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang (headlines AT benton DOT org) and Robbie McBeath (rmcbeath AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.
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