Morning Consult

To Close the Digital Divide, Congress Must Care About All Americans

If the coronavirus pandemic has taught the technology and communications policy world anything, it is that policymakers have utterly failed to meet the mission of the National Broadband Plan. Although the National Broadband Plan provided a road map and initially tracked progress, we have seen a relatively nonpartisan tech policy space abandon consensus views on the technicalities of the network and the importance of universal service principles.

Older Adults, Broadband and COVID-19

While COVID-19 has highlighted the deficiencies in broadband availability in the homes of our school-age kids around the country, the absence of a broadband connection for our older adults is equally concerning. Lack of internet access sets the stage for growing isolation and harm to our seniors across the country. Although broadband adoption has increased among those 65 and older in recent years, there is still a significant gap. A 2017 Pew Research revealed that over half of those 65+ have a broadband connection at home, and about 67 percent use the internet.

Telecom Industry, Broadband Advocates Push for Internet Subsidies in Next Stimulus

With few funds dedicated to expanding at-home internet access in the $2.2 trillion “phase three” economic stimulus package, broadband advocates and the telecommunications industry are starting to push for the Federal Communications Commission and Congress to ensure that the government prioritizes expanding and funding existing subsidy programs in the next relief legislation to bring more Americans online as the coronavirus continues to spread.

House Lawmakers Target Sept, Oct for Data Privacy Bill

As talks on a data privacy bill reportedly lose steam in the Senate, two Democratic House aides said the House Commerce Committee is targeting the end of Sept or early Oct to introduce its own version of privacy legislation. Apparently, there are plans for Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chair Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) to head up the effort. One aide said the legislation is expected to include a few possible concessions that could fall by the wayside if the bill were to be reconciled with any Senate version through a conference committee.

The FCC Must Abandon Its Plan to Disconnect Low-Income Families

The Federal Communications Commission has proposed a package of fatally flawed plans that would fundamentally undercut Lifeline. May 15's FCC oversight hearing is an opportunity for Congress to hold the agency accountable for its disastrous proposals. 

How the Sprint/T-Mobile Merger Would Harm Consumers, Competition and Jobs

Today, Americans can choose between four nationwide wireless carriers – but that choice is now threatened by the proposed merger of Sprint and T-Mobile. If allowed to proceed as proposed, this merger will condense the market to just three national carriers, leading to higher prices, foreclosing the entrance of new competitors and eliminating jobs. And while the companies have promised that this deal would speed the roll out of 5G and improve rural service, the facts belie these claims. This deal offers no meaningful public benefit and threatens vast consumer harms.

Pluralities of Democrats and Republicans Want Congress to Focus on Data Protection

Many US voters in a recent Morning Consult/Politico poll, including pluralities of both Democrats and Republicans, said they’d like to see the next Congress make it a top priority to pass measures that better protect consumer data, outweighing other more partisan concerns such as efforts to codify network neutrality and addressing allegations of political bias and censorship on social media.

Poll: Majority blames both President Trump and media for dividing country

A new Politico/Morning Consult poll conducted over the past fractious, violent week shows a majority of voters think that President Donald Trump has done more to divide the country than unite it since he took office in 2017 — but that the national news media are even worse. Just 3 in 10 voters, 30 percent, said President Trump has done more to unite the country, compared with 56 percent who said he’s done more to divide it. Even more voters, 64 percent, said the media have done more to divide the country, while only 17 percent say they have done more to unite it. 

Net Neutrality Important to Democratic Voters — but Not to Democratic Campaigns

A new Morning Consult/Politico survey found 59 percent of self-identified Democratic voters considered support for network neutrality to be a somewhat or very important factor when deciding which candidate to support during the midterm elections — a figure that was unchanged from polling conducted in May.