House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-PA), and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Ranking Member Bob Latta (R-OH) wrote to nine internet service providers (ISPs) and their trade associations urging them to participate in and help make consumers aware of the newly created Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program, which will help struggling Americans afford high-speed internet. The $3.2 billion program was created as part of the final omnibus appropriations bill in December and was championed by the Committee leaders.  Letters were sent to: Altice, AT&T, CenturyLink/Lumen, Charter, Comcast, Cox, Frontier, T-Mobile, Verizon, United States Telecom Association, The Rural Broadband Association, The Internet & Television Association, The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Wireless Internet Service Providers Association, CTIA, Competitive Carriers Association, America’s Communications Association, and INCOMPAS.

On the 10^th anniversary of its Internet Essentials program, Comcast announced it would invest $1 billion over the next 10 years to help further close the digital divide and give even more low-income Americans the tools and resources they need to succeed in an increasingly digital world. The commitment will include investments in a number of critical areas, including: additional support for its ongoing Lift Zone initiative, which establishes WiFi-connected safe spaces in 1,000+ community centers nationwide for students and adults by the end of 2021; new laptop and computer donations; grants for nonprofit community organizations to create opportunities for low-income Americans, particularly in media, arts, technology, and entrepreneurship; and continued investment in the company’s landmark Internet Essentials program. It is estimated that these new commitments will impact as many as 50 million Americans over the next 10 years. In 2021 alone, Comcast estimates students will be able to complete more than 25 million hours of remote learning lessons to further address the “homework gap” at the hundreds of Lift Zone locations that have already opened or will open soon.

MetroNet continues to prove that collaboration is the key to successful fiber optic deployment in over 100 communities across 9 states. Most recently, the cities of Fayetteville and Greenville (NC) announced MetroNet’s intention to construct a fiber optic network providing high-speed internet, television, and phone in their cities with a combined investment by the company of $110 million. How does that happen? 

Enter the Public/Private Partnership. When MetroNet comes into a new city with a fiber optic deployment of this magnitude, it is critical that there is a willingness to work together on a successful implementation.  Both Fayetteville and Greenville stepped up to the plate to do the work on their part while keeping the level playing field for their cities at the forefront. 

[Kathy Scheller is Director of Government Relations for MetroNet]

A Q&A with Gigi Sohn, a distinguished fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy, a Benton Senior Fellow & Public Advocate, and former Federal Communications Comission counselor.

Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) just said it was a “new era” for net neutrality. Do you agree? I absolutely agree, net neutrality is coming back one way or another and I think the way it will first come back is through the FCC when there’s a full complement of commissioners. That’s the big thing we are waiting for, obviously. But not to beat a dead horse, the first thing that needs to come back before net neutrality comes back is FCC authority. The courts have told us you can’t have real net neutrality unless the agency has Title II authority. So that’s the first thing the FCC has to do. That of course gives them not only the power to adopt new net neutrality rules, it gives them the power to adopt new privacy rules if they want to.