Thursday, January 21, 2021
Headlines Daily Digest
President Biden’s Tech To-Do List
Don't Miss:
How to Revive the FCC’s Lifeline Program
Day One
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Broadband/Telecommunications
President Biden is inheriting tricky tech questions including how to rein in powerful digital superstars, what to do about Chinese technology and how to bring more Americans online. Here’s a glimpse at opportunities and challenges in technology policy for the new Biden administration:
Digital divide: The pandemic highlighted a persistent gap between Americans who can get access to and afford internet service and the millions who can’t, particularly in low-income or rural households. Biden’s priorities mention “universal broadband,” but he hasn’t specified how to get there. The Washington Post reported that Biden’s advisers want to enhance E-Rate, a program to help schools and libraries provide internet access.
Online speech: This was a central internet dispute long before Facebook and Twitter locked Trump’s accounts after he incited a mob. The question of what, if anything, the government should do about online expression is just getting trickier.
Restraining tech powers: Under the Trump administration, there were investigations, lawsuits and noisy squabbles over the power of Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple and other tech companies. Tech giants can expect more of the same under President Biden and a Congress narrowly controlled by Democrats.
How to Revive the FCC’s Lifeline Program: A Blueprint to Build Back Better After Four Years of Neglect and Regulatory War
For the past four years, the Federal Communications Commission's Lifeline program has been dogged by neglectful leadership and repeated attacks from the commission under Chairman Ajit Pai. As the COVID19 pandemic and a persistent digital divide exacerbate income, racial, and geographic inequities, this program has been stifled at a crucial time. In this paper, we review the myriad attacks that Lifeline has endured during the Trump Administration—and build a blueprint for a better path forward. We conclude by forecasting looming threats to the program and identifying opportunities for Lifeline’s recovery and growth. As new leadership takes over, the federal government can repair the damage of the past four years and get Lifeline back on track.
An interview with Francella Ochillo, executive director of Next Century Cities. Although discussion about broadband deployment has long focused on federal efforts, local governments and communities have been working to close the digital divide. The pandemic has exposed the many reasons why we simply can’t wait to achieve widespread broadband access and why local leaders are so important to helping us get there. Many small businesses, which keep local economies alive, weren’t equipped to participate in the e-commerce marketplace. Many school districts are still struggling to close the digital divide, which in education we call the homework gap, for every student, especially those in historically underserved neighborhoods. And some residents found themselves completely unable to access government services online. Now that we’ve been confronted with vivid illustrations of those who are still searching and waiting for affordable and reliable broadband connections, we have to decide as a country who deserves to be connected and how we plan to make connectivity a reality for every resident. Doing so requires buy-in from every level of government to collect accurate data about which areas are actually served, supporting innovative community-level connectivity models, and treating broadband adoption as a priority instead of an afterthought.
The percentage of broadband households that had a remote healthcare visit increased from 15% in 2019 to 41% in 2020, according to a telehealth adoption report from Parks Associates. The firm also found that 29% of respondents are very likely to add at least one health related product during the next year. About half of parents of children under 18 years of age have “high intent” to add a connected medical product. That group is followed by current telehealth service users at a bit over 40%. About 25% of all U.S. broadband households are likely to do so.
Over the past four years, we have delivered results for the American people, from narrowing the digital divide to advancing American leadership in 5G, from protecting consumers and national security to keeping Americans connected during the pandemic, from modernizing our media rules to making the agency more transparent and nimble. It has been a privilege to lead the agency over its most productive period in recent history. None of this—not a single action, big or small—would have been possible without the incredible staff of the FCC.
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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