Saturday, April 4, 2020
Headlines Daily Digest
How Does the CARES Act Connect Us?
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Rep Greg Walden: "Things Have Changed. I'm Not Sure They ever Go Back."
Local Leaders Explain Why Broadband Has Been Essential for Emergency Responses
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How Does the CARES Act Connect Us? | Read below | Kevin Taglang | Analysis | Benton Institute for Broadband & Society 
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President Donald Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (or CARES Act) into law late last month. With a $2.2 trillion dollar price tag, the law has gotten a lot of attention for its direct payments to U.S. taxpayers and assistance to companies. But there's more -- lots more -- here that demonstrates the importance of communications -- and broadband -- during this national emergency. The CARES Act includes several telehealth provisions, relaxing guidelines for Medicare coverage and allowing for connected health at federally-qualified health centers (FQHCs), rural health clinics (RHCs) and hospices. Schools across the nation began shutting down early in March; many will not reopen until next school year. At the same time, they must continue to help address the basic needs of students and develop plans for providing online learning for all students, including students with disabilities, English language learners and homeless students. The CARES Act aims, in part, to help the transition to online learning. Rural areas get targeted support through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And there's even money for digital inclusion efforts.
Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) said the coronavirus pandemic could forever change the importance of expanding broadband connectivity and bolstering the security of digital networks. “Things have changed. I'm not sure they ever go back to exactly the way they were before,” he said. The timeline to bring some businesses and school districts online has sped up, for instance, as they offer new remote learning and work-from-home options. Those coronavirus-era changes could become the norm. “With tighter, leaner budgets for most businesses, they're going to be looking at what they were able to accomplish during this period with online communication capabilities,” Rep Walden said. “I'll bet a bunch of them say, ‘You know what, that actually makes a lot more sense all the way around.’” That means funding for broadband initiatives should be a priority for Congress — whether or not lawmakers enact a fourth phase of coronavirus relief, Rep Walden said. He said Congress has pumped a lot of money into the economy and handed agencies a record number of directives in recent stimulus legislation, and Washington needs time to “digest” before more legislation is passed. “If there is a phase four or if it's called something different, we need to continue our push to connect America and connect America at high speeds,” he said.
Sen Wyden Leads Colleagues in Demanding Expanded Internet Access for Low-Income Americans Throughout COVIC-19 Crisis
Sen Ron Wyden (D-OR) led a group of his colleagues to demand better mobile internet service for low-income Americans impacted by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The federal Lifeline service program, administered by the Federal Communications Commission, provides free and discounted voice, text and cellular internet service to 9 million low-income Americans. The senators requested Lifeline service providers take a number of steps to expand their service:
- Enable hotspot access for all Lifeline subscribers, so they can connect laptops or tablets to smartphones that support this feature;
- Ensure all Lifeline subscribers have access to 4G service, where available, with at least the same speed and priority of service that other resellers of mobile services of that network offer to their customers;
- Provide no-cost upgrades to existing subscribers using older smartphones provided by the Lifeline provider that lack hotspot functionality;
- Allow consumers to roll over some or all of their voice minutes and data allowances from one month to the next;
- Work with their network operator — such as AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile, who have all pledged to help American families during this crisis — to substantially increase the monthly data allowance beyond 3 GB, at no cost to Lifeline subscribers; and
- Provide subscribers with clear instructions on how to access their smartphone hotspot capability, including via text message.
Joining Wyden were Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ed Markey (D-MA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen D-MD), Patty Murray (D-WA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).
Next Century Cities sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission urging the agency to collaborate with mayors and other local officials on broadband deployment. As residents are forced to work, access virtual classrooms, obtain medical care, and more from their homes, local officials have been working tirelessly to ensure that every resident stays connected during the national coronavirus (COVID-19) shut-in. Next Century Cities asks the FCC to consider the following points.
- Stimulus funds from the Senate bill should be used to expand the E-Rate program, allowing schools and libraries to purchase hotspots and loan those devices to Americans of all ages who do not have internet access at home. The FCC should also strengthen the Lifeline program, which was designed to keep people connected in the wake of an emergency.
- Telehealth and telemedicine programs depend on reliable broadband networks. Building reliable networks that reach communities in remote places requires federal policies that support local solutions.
- Local officials have the clearest view of what their communities need, yet they are noticeably absent from FCC advisory committees. Their insights would help accelerate broadband deployment.
- The FCC should revise its definition of broadband by increasing minimum speeds to meet new market demands.
The FCC Could Do More Now About the Digital Divide, Say Panelists at Broadband Breakfast Live Online Event
“It’s really unfortunate that it has taken a national emergency, a worldwide pandemic, for people to realize how many people don’t have access to broadband internet,” said Benton Institute Senior Fellow and Public Advocate Gigi Sohn. Right now, the Federal Communications Commission could make E-Rate funds available for mobile hotspots and connectivity. “This is the classroom today,” said Sohn, arguing that those funds apply and are necessary. The money in the Universal Service Fund is shrinking because it is only funded by telephone services, which have become nearly obsolete and not “sustainable,” said Sohn. “Let’s be honest folks; this FCC and their friends in Congress hate E-rate, and they hate Lifeline because they are subsidy programs that help poor people and brown and black people,” said Sohn.
Chris Mitchell, director of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative at the Institute for Local Self Reliance, highlighted the dissonance between government urging Americans to stay home but making broadband accessible outside of the home, like school parking lots. Mitchell said a significant flaw with the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund is the allocation of billions of dollars to service areas with 25/3 megabits per second, a speed that will soon be outdated.“This is a really bad decision,” argued Mitchell. “We’re going to pay for these networks twice.”
When Anderson County (TX) told residents not to assemble in groups with more than 10 people, officials got some pushback from churches. County Judge Robert Johnston said that was partly because residents wanted to meet on Sundays like they always have, but it was partly because they don’t have a way to meet online. “A lot of this county has no internet service,” he said. Only 65.6% of Texas households have adopted broadband, according to numbers from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The other 34.4% includes rural, suburban and urban Texans — anyone with access to broadband who doesn’t subscribe to it. That leaves around one Texas household in three without a connection to the communications network that makes it possible to work from home — if your job even allows it — or to take part in online education being offered since the pandemic shuttered the state’s public schools.
As the nation prepares to ride out a pandemic that will persist for months, the need is acute for fast and inexpensive broadband rollout. It’s important to know that you have options to deploy new facilities – options that can be exercised in days or weeks, not years. Last week, we shared some ideas for using fiber, mmWave, and Wi-Fi to get services to the unserved. April 2, we’d like to share more detail for how you can connect 1,000 or more households in a town or city for less than $500,000, possibly considerably less. These rapid deployments would be engineered to provide broadband speeds (at least 25 Mbps download/3 Mbps upload) using backbone fiber, point-to-point wireless, and Wi-Fi solutions. Every building or development will require custom analysis and design, but here we generalize for three development scenarios: small multi-family buildings, closely spaced single-family homes, and large apartment buildings.
- Scenario 1: Free connectivity to small multi-family buildings
- Scenario 2: Free connectivity to single-family homes in a neighborhood
- Scenario 3: Free connectivity to larger multi-family buildings in an urban area
On March 9, 24 senators wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai to express concerns about key details of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), particularly excluding areas that are awarded funding through the US Department of Agriculture's ReConnect program and state-run broadband deployment or subsidy programs from being eligible for the RDOF. "This decision not only exacerbates the digital divide in communities across the country, but it also knowingly disincentives states from implementing their own broadband programs." The senators asked eight questions in order to provide states and Congress "with the clarity needed to most effectively utilize this vital broadband funding."
On March 27, Chairman Pai responded by saying Phase I would target support to wholly unserved census blocks, and then Phase II would fill in the remaining coverage gaps by supporting networks that will serve partially unserved census blocks. Phase II would leverage the FCC's new Digital Opportunity Data Collection. Additionally, the FCC has commenced a limited challenge process, to make sure "finite universal service support is awarded in an efficient and cost-effective manner and does not go toward overbuilding areas where problem providers already are receiving support to deploy 25/3 Mbps broadband service." FCC staff will review comments received identifying areas for exclusion or inclusion, and will release a final list of eligible blocks prior to the short-form application deadline.
- With regard to how the FCC’s RDOF program affects preexisting broadband subsidy programs, the basic principle is simple: if a service provider already has been given funding (federal and/or state) to serve a particular area with 25/3 Mbps broadband, the FCC is not going to give them yet more taxpayer funding to do something they’re already obligated (by federal and/or state law) to do.
- With regard to the federal ReConnect Program, the FCC will consult with the USDA's Rural Utilities Service before publication of the final eligible areas and exclude the portions of any census blocks from eligibility for the RDOF Phase I that are substantially overlapped by a ReConnect awardee.
- With regard to state programs, if a service provider has state-based funding and a commitment to deploy 25/3 Mbps or better service in one area, it cannot receive FCC funding to deliver similar service to that same area. But it would still be eligible to participate in the RDOF in other areas in the state that are unserved and not covered by a funding commitment.
Mayor London Breed announced a partnership between the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and national nonprofit organizations EducationSuperHighway and the 1Million Project Foundation to provide connectivity support for thousands of students in San Francisco who lack home internet access, including the deployment of up to 25 WiFi “SuperSpots.” As part of the new Digital Bridge project, the SuperSpots will be installed in locations to serve students from underserved communities who need to participate in distance learning due to COVID-19 and related school closures. Additionally, the City is working to secure and deploy additional WiFi hotspots, which will complement the 25 new SuperSpots and the existing free, high-speed internet provided to low-income residents through San Francisco’s Fiber to Housing program. The 25 SuperSpot devices will be located in areas of highest need, including public housing sites, single-room occupancy buildings, community centers, and other neighborhood locations where there is a concentrated population of students lacking internet connectivity. SFUSD, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, and the San Francisco Housing Authority will identify locations for the units, and they will be deployed the week of April 13th in time for the beginning of SFUSD Distance Learning. Each SuperSpot will provide internet access for 100 users and is powered by the Sprint Network. The SuperSpot equipment, installation, and operating costs are fully covered by philanthropic funding from the 1Million Project Foundation and EducationSuperHighway, and will remain in place for the remainder of the school year. In addition to the SuperSpot devices, the partnership will explore other low-cost options for delivering home internet access to students.
The great American lockdown that put the economy on ice is fueling hopes of a 5G boom. US mobile carriers were already planning to spend big on deploying superfast wireless internet in the coming years. Then the coronavirus pushed a massive nationwide adoption of Zoom video conferences, distance learning, online doctors’ visits and daylong Netflix binges — and the top internet providers are ready to spend a lot more. Verizon announced it was boosting its estimated capital investment for this year by $500 million, to as much as $18.5 billion, to accelerate its 5G efforts. AT&T, meanwhile, abandoned a planned $4 billion stock buyback March 20, telling regulators that instead it would keep the cash available for helping workers and "enhancing our network, including nationwide 5G."
The Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission demanded that service providers do their part to stop coronavirus related scam robocalls from bombarding American consumers. They specifically warned three gateway providers facilitating COVID-19-related scam robocalls originating overseas that they must cut off these calls or face serious consequences. Unless these gateway providers stop bringing these calls into the US in the next 48 hours, other phone companies will be able to begin blocking all traffic from these gateway providers’ networks. The FCC and FTC have been working closely with the US Department of Justice on this first-of-its-kind effort to stop scammers from reaching American consumers.
As Congress considers whether there is a need to take additional next steps in responding to the health and economic crisis facing our nation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reports indicate that some are actively considering another round of economic support. While I will reserve judgment on other communications matters for the time being, one questionable proposal floated for possible inclusion in past rounds was to inject Federal funding into deploying advanced 9-1-I systems in states and territories, better known as Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1). Any effort to do this without appropriate safeguards shotild be a cause for concern, as four states — NY, NJ, RI, and NV — continue to divert critical 9-1-i fees collected from consumers toward other budgetary purposes. I implore each of you to support the existing prohibition in Federal law that prevents certain Federal money from being made available to these states for 9-1-1 systems. To do otherwise would facilitate these states’ diversionary practices and directly harm efforts, such as mine, to protect consumers from paying 9-1-1 fees on their phone bills that ultimately are used for other, unrelated purposes. Unfortunately, diverted fees effectively function as a backdoor tax on lower income consumers.
I believe that if new Federal funding is to be considered by Congress for the necessary upgrades and deployment of NG9-1-, it must prohibit funds from being received by those states or territories that divert 9-1-1 fees. Those Americans needing emergency call center assistance and the wonderful professionals answering those calls deserve no less.
Television
FCC Commissioner Carr Attacks Free Press for Urging the Agency to Provide Guidance on the Broadcast of False Information
On April 2, Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr responded to a right-wing blogger’s question about a recent Free Press petition urging the agency to help prevent the spread of false COVID-19 information via broadcast outlets. Commissioner Carr said: “This is a sweeping and dangerous attempt by the far left to weaponize the FCC against conservative media outlets and elected officials. They want to turn the FCC into a roving speech police empowered to go after the left’s political opponents."
Free Press Co-CEO Jessica J. González said: “We stand by our request that the FCC issue guidance on broadcast of disinformation about COVID-19. We think it's quite possible that certain broadcasts have amounted to ‘hoaxes’ as defined by the FCC’s own regulations. We join a growing chorus of journalists, medical professionals, activists and journalism professors who are concerned that the broadcast of disinformation about the virus has discouraged people from taking appropriate preventative measures, and that it is endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
“We will not stand down in the face of flip comments from a misguided FCC commissioner and his band of seven-cent trolls. We expect an official response from the agency mandated by Congress to protect the public interest on our nation’s airwaves, not a right-wing firing squad lobbing insults over Twitter. Be better than that, Commissioner Carr. We are simply asking you to do your job and provide clarity about one of the very few rules that you and the Trump FCC have left on the books."
When millions of people read his coverage of the internet and its ripples, Anick Jesdanun made sure they got all the facts and the context they needed. For more than two decades, Jesdanun helped generations of readers understand the emerging internet and its impact on the world. And while his work may have been about screens and computers and virtual networks, Jesdanun’s large life was about the world and exploring all of the corners of it that he could, virtual and physical alike.
Jesdanun, 51, deputy technology editor for The Associated Press, died in New York City on April 2 of coronavirus-related complications.
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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