Current research suggests that low-income people can only afford to pay about $10  monthly for broadband. Anything more competes with other utility bills and the cost of food. Meeting the goal of universal connectivity and providing fixed broadband at about $10 per month requires a multi-pronged strategy - what my Benton colleague Jonathan Sallet calls an “Affordability Agenda.” It includes:

1. Price Transparency:  Carriers should be required to submit non-promotional pricing information including equipment and other fees to the FCC, which should make that information public. The FCC or Congress should also restore the Fixed Broadband Consumer Disclosure Label. Both will help consumers make informed choices about the price, quality, and value of their broadband service.
2. More Competition: More competition means lower broadband prices. Even under the FCC’s overly optimistic data, nearly 30% of the country has access to no more than 2 providers at 25/3 speeds, and 95% has access to no more than 2 at speeds of 100/10. Congress should prohibit states from blocking communities that wish to build their own broadband networks and also give a bidding preference to “open access networks” when allocating deployment subsidies. These networks allow any broadband provider to provide last-mile service. An open-access network in Utah gives residents of 15 cities a choice of 10 ISPs. Most Americans can’t fathom that.
3. A Strong Lifeline Program: Congress should strengthen Lifeline and make it easier for the most vulnerable in society to access the program. It should make clear that Lifeline can support broadband service; restore the Lifeline Broadband Provider designation to bring new competition to the program; and give USAC the resources it needs to expedite the hard launch of the National Eligibility Verifier, which will make eligibility determinations automatic for many applicants. Policymakers should also consider providing an additional subsidy so Lifeline recipients can purchase fixed broadband. The $9.25 subsidy doesn’t go very far for the broadband needed to do research papers, apply for jobs and access telehealth services.
4. Low-Cost Broadband for Federally Subsidized Networks. The FCC disburses billions of dollars annually to mobile and fixed providers to build out their networks. It should require those carriers to provide a $10 a month high-speed broadband plan to low-income Americans.
5. Support for Access “To and Through” Community Anchor Institutions
6. Finally, Congress and the FCC should assist local communities’ digital inclusion efforts.

[Gigi B. Sohn is a Distinguished Fellow, Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy and Benton Senior Fellow and Public Advocate]

The Federal Communications Commission faced criticism from Capitol Hill when a bipartisan letter from the New York delegation complained that the state has been unfairly excluded from participating in the agency’s new $20 billion broadband initiative. Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) accused the agency of “plotting” against the state, while some journalists have characterized this incident as part of a “petty” campaign against states that have opposed the agency or the Trump administration more generally. But as usual, a deeper look reveals that the real story does not quite match the sound bite. The new initiative targets areas that lack broadband. It thus excludes areas that received buildout funding during the agency’s earlier CAF-II auction, regardless of state. The allegedly disproportionate effect stems in part from the fact that New York received more favorable treatment in that earlier auction — and caving to Schumer and Gillibrand’s request would allow New York to impermissibly double-dip into limited agency funds.

The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund is designed to address areas that the CAF-II auctions and other earlier initiatives failed to fund. New York took special steps to make sure that it received every dollar that the FCC made available through CAF-II to wire New York, steps that were unavailable to other states. I do not fault New York’s congressional delegation for seeking additional funding — after all, seeking public services for their constituents is part of their job. But the agency is right to prevent the state from double-dipping. Other states will receive Rural Digital Opportunity funding for areas that were not served by the CAF-II auctions. Having received special treatment in that auction, New York should not be allowed benefit again by becoming the only state able to tap both funds to serve the same area.

[Lyons a professor at Boston College Law School]

Democratic presidential candidate Sen Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) pledged that her campaign would not share falsehoods or promote fraudulent accounts on social media, part of a new plan to battle back disinformation and hold Facebook, Google and Twitter “responsible” for its spread. Four years after Russian agents weaponized those services in a bid to undermine the 2016 election, Sen Warren expressed fresh alarm that Silicon Valley’s efforts only “nibble around the edges,” failing to fully combat online threats that mislead voters or stoke conflict, including among Democrats competing for the White House in 2020. “Anyone who seeks to challenge and defeat Donald Trump in the 2020 election must be fully prepared to take on the full array of disinformation that foreign actors and people in and around the Trump campaign will use to divide Democrats, suppress Democratic votes, and erode the standing of the Democratic nominee,” said Sen Warren. “And anyone who seeks to be the Democratic nominee must condemn the use of disinformation and pledge not to knowingly use it to benefit their own candidacy or damage others.”

Along with her personal commitment, Sen Warren said her presidency would push for civil and criminal penalties for those who seek to mislead people online about when, where and how to vote. She also said she would seek sanctions against countries, including Russia, that attempt to undermine US elections with online propaganda.