Daily Digest 3/30/2020 (Thomas Allen Coburn)

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society
Table of Contents

Coronavirus Response

After Three Coronavirus Stimulus Packages, Congress Is Already Prepping Phase Four  |  Wall Street Journal
Coronavirus has made the digital divide more dangerous than ever  |  Read below  |  Editorial Board  |  Editorial  |  Washington Post
Broadband is now our lifeline, but 20 million still lack access  |  Read below  |  Larry Irving  |  Op-Ed  |  Hill, The
As Life Moves Online, an Older Generation Faces a Digital Divide  |  Read below  |  Kate Conger, Erin Griffith  |  New York Times
Schools get creative to keep students connected  |  Read below  |  Kim Hart, Margaret Harding McGill  |  Axios
Teachers’ Herculean Task: Moving 1.1 Million NYC Children to Online School  |  New York Times
No online learning? With schools closed from coronavirus, these teachers air TV lessons  |  USA Today
How coronavirus' online classes work at colleges  |  USA Today
ReConnect Application Extension  |  Read below  |  Chad Rupe  |  Public Notice  |  Department of Agriculture
US government officials using mobile ad location data to study coronavirus spread  |  Vox
Broadcast News May Be More Low-Tech Now, but It's Staying on the Story  |  Hollywood Reporter
Miami man said unproven drug helped him beat COVID-19. Pro-Trump media gave him star treatment  |  Miami Herald
Bronwyn Howell: Everyone can contribute to data transmission management in a COVID-19 world  |  American Enterprise Institute

Platforms

Google Bans Infowars Android App Over Coronavirus Claims  |  Wired

Elections & Media

How Russia’s Troll Farm Is Changing Tactics Before the Fall Election  |  New York Times
Facebook, Google and Twitter Struggle to Handle November’s Election  |  New York Times

Journalism

Local news outlets struggle to survive coronavirus fallout  |  Hill, The
Gov. Phil Scott (R-VT) calls on public to support local journalism amid pandemic  |  Hill, The
Ben Smith: Bail Out Journalists. Let Newspaper Chains Die.  |  New York Times
Facebook Aims $100 Million at Media Hit by the Coronavirus  |  New York Times

Life As We Know It Now

In the Quarantine Age, e-sports seize center stage  |  Los Angeles Times
Coronavirus Silences the Concert Industry  |  Wall Street Journal
Community Radio Fights to Stay Live (and Weird) Despite Coronavirus  |  New York Times
Old Laptop, Tablet or Phone? Here’s How They Can Help You Right Now  |  Wall Street Journal

Lobbying

The Race for Virus Money Is On. Lobbyists Are Standing By.  |  New York Times

Stories From Abroad

China and Huawei propose reinvention of the internet  |  Financial Times
As Virus Spreads, China and Russia See Openings for Disinformation  |  New York Times
Hard-Knock Life Gets Harder in Venezuela With Internet Near Bust  |  Bloomberg
UK broadband providers lift data caps during coronavirus crisis  |  Reuters
Today's Top Stories

Coronavirus Response

Coronavirus has made the digital divide more dangerous than ever

Editorial Board  |  Editorial  |  Washington Post

Living indoors to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, millions of Americans are turning to the Internet to meet their most pressing needs. This massive shift online poses troubling barriers to the least digitally connected Americans. The disconnectedness may force individuals to make devastating decisions and undermine the fight against the coronavirus. Low-income patients are visiting clinics in person, and increasing the risk of virus spread, because they “could not afford to use voice minutes to call ahead.” Initial actions by the Federal Communications Commission are insufficient in a time when the strength of an Internet connection mediates access to critical information, remote work opportunities, remote health services and more.  In the emergency coronavirus relief bill, Congress ignored calls to appropriate sufficient direct funds for schools and libraries to provide WiFi hotspots for students without Internet access at home. More legislation is likely to follow; funding these hotspots for students should be a priority. For social distancing to work, home-isolation has to be bearable for everyone. That means recognizing and addressing the needs of Americans who are the least digitally connected.

Broadband is now our lifeline, but 20 million still lack access

Larry Irving  |  Op-Ed  |  Hill, The

The past month has taught us that the internet is the one indispensable tool Americans have amidst this crisis. but at least 20 million American households are currently without home access to broadband internet, primarily because they can’t afford it. These are the families on the wrong side of the digital divide, the most vulnerable people in our society. Disproportionately they are older, poorer, and sicker than the “average” American. Congress should devise a long-term solution to our continuing digital divide, once and for all. Congress must ensure adequate long-term funding and, even more importantly, must modernize broadband by directing the FCC to, at a minimum:

  • Define and require a meaningful level of Lifeline broadband service;
  • Assure an adequate funding mechanism for Lifeline;
  • Permit subscribing households to receive Lifeline funding for more than one device by decoupling funding for Lifeline broadband from funding for mobile phones or other devices;
  • Require the Federal Communications Commission to provide annual reports on the success of the Lifeline program in increasing broadband subscribership

[Larry Irving is a former US Assistant Secretary of Commerce]

As Life Moves Online, an Older Generation Faces a Digital Divide

Kate Conger, Erin Griffith  |  New York Times

As life has increasingly moved online during the pandemic, an older generation that grew up in an analog era is facing a digital divide. Often unfamiliar or uncomfortable with apps, gadgets and the internet, many are struggling to keep up with friends and family through digital tools when some of them are craving those connections the most. While teenagers are celebrating birthdays over Zoom with one another, children are chatting with friends over online games and young adults are ordering food via delivery apps, some older people are intimidated by such technology. According to a 2017 Pew Research study, three-quarters of those older than 65 said they needed someone else to set up their electronic devices. A third also said they were only a little or not at all confident in their ability to use electronics and to navigate the web. That is problematic now when many people 65 and older are shutting themselves in. Many nursing homes have closed off to visitors entirely. Yet people are seeking human interaction and communication through the web or their devices to stave off loneliness and to stay positive.

Schools get creative to keep students connected

Kim Hart, Margaret Harding McGill  |  Axios

School districts are exploring ways to keep their homebound pupils connected to the classroom, even though many students don't have the internet service or devices they need to do assignments. Public-private partnerships are playing a central role. School districts don't have the budgets to pay for service or provide devices to families, so they're relying on nonprofits and private companies to fill the gaps. But the supply of hotspot devices is limited among the increased demand from schools and businesses, notes Angela Siefer, executive director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance.

ReConnect Application Extension

Chad Rupe  |  Public Notice  |  Department of Agriculture

The Rural Utilities Service extended the ReConnect second-round application window until midnight, based on the time zone the applicant is located in, on April 15, 2020.

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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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