Washington seems poised, yet again, to try to address broadband infrastructure by throwing billions of dollars at it to be managed at the national level, and already there is a chorus of voices demanding that access to broadband be “free.” All this will ensure the effort fails. What’s needed is a recognition that the only approach that can succeed is a novel combination of public-private partnerships at the local level. The important recognition is that cities are not monolithic. Broadband is a neighborhood issue, driven by different socioeconomic factors that must be addressed. Three business models need to be employed The traditional business model, where service providers charge customers a fee, will suffice for areas already wired and returning a profit. An ad or sponsorship model, where base stations are sponsored by companies, will probably develop into a workable alternative. And finally, there is a model joining governmental and philanthropic/charitable support, where there is a need for ultra-low or no-cost service. This overall approach requires the right level of government providing leadership that is transparent and responsive but has the heft to be an effective facilitator or coordinator. Accountability requires an articulated goal.

[JJ Koch is a Dallas County commissioner and an attorney with expertise in the field of legal technology. Todd Furniss is CEO of gTC Group, a private equity firm based in Dallas.]

Over four million households have enrolled in the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, the nation’s largest broadband affordability program to date. The $3.2 billion subsidy program initiated by Congress provides a temporary $50 to $75 discount on eligible households’ internet bills during the duration of the pandemic. “We’ve made terrific progress," said Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, "but the [Federal Communications Commission] remains committed to building on this initial momentum so we can connect as many families as possible and help those struggling to get online.” Since the program’s inception, the FCC has found creative ways to increase awareness and educate consumers, providers, advocates, and more about this program. Over 1100 broadband providers have agreed to take part in the Emergency Broadband Benefit program. The benefit is available to eligible new, prior, and existing customers of participating providers. Customers can sign up by contacting a participating provider, enroll online, or sign up via mail.

The World Data Lab (WDL) has developed a global measurement framework of internet poverty to measure the number of people left behind in the internet revolution. People who can’t afford a basic package of connectivity—set at 1.5 gigabytes per month at a minimum download speed of 3 megabits per second (equivalent to 6 seconds to load a standard web page)—are internet-poor. WDL estimates that there are around 1.1 billion people living in internet poverty today. They found that almost anyone living in a rich country can afford to use the internet—even if the price might be rather high. By contrast, the price plays a crucial role in poor countries. At least in the short term, people in developing regions depend on an affordable pricing scheme for them to be able to access the internet. In particular, WDL's results show that poor countries with cheap internet (below $15 per month), are able to connect a much larger proportion of the population than poor countries with expensive internet. Only 13 percent of the population in poor countries with cheap internet live in internet poverty. Conversely, poor countries with expensive internet have 67 percent of their population in internet poverty. Of the 4 billion people who live in countries with an average per capita spending of below $11 per day, 3.4 billion have access to cheap internet by WDL's definition. Only 7.5 percent, around 588 million people, live in poor countries with expensive internet. This group of people must be the focus for eliminating internet poverty.

[Jesús Crespo Cuaresma is a Professor of Economics at Vienna University of Economics and Business. Homi Kharas is Senior Fellow of Global Economy and Development at the Center for Sustainable Development. Katharina Fenz is the Lead Data Scientist at World Data Lab, and Marco Fengler and Leo Saenger are Research Analysts at World Data Lab.]

T-Mobile is introducing a new prepaid promotion with incentives for customers on other prepaid MVNOs to switch to Metro by T-Mobile, including waiving switching fees, a discount on an unlimited plan with 5G, and a trade-in offer for a new 5G phone. In other words, it’s doing exactly what it told regulators it wouldn’t do when it acquired Sprint a year ago. It is a direct pitch to lure Boost Mobile customers to T-Mobile’s prepaid brand—the same customers it was ordered to sell to Dish with the intention of setting the company up as a fourth wireless carrier to replace Sprint. It’s also what Dish warned might be coming in a plea to the Federal Communications Commission earlier this year. The promotion appears to specifically appeal to Boost customers on Sprint’s old CDMA network — a network T-Mobile owns and operates and announced it would be shutting down on an unusually aggressive timeline. This leaves many Boost customers in need of a device upgrade by January 1st, 2022, which T-Mobile is happily offering to facilitate if they switch to Metro.