In March of 2020, then-Commissioner and now Acting Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said, “With coronavirus, we’re about to expose just how challenging our digital divide is, and just how unequal access to broadband is.” Now, almost a full year later, Americans are living with the reality of this prediction. While development of effective vaccines has been encouraging news, life as we knew it pre-COVID does not seem to be on the near horizon just yet. Americans are still heavily reliant on the digital space for key services including groceries, doctor visits, school, and employment. While significant progress was made under former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, there is still plenty of work for Congress and the FCC to do to continue to bridge this gap.
Much like with the pandemic itself, the digital divide has affected various groups and regions differently. The latest Broadband Deployment Report released by the FCC shows an encouraging 30-percent drop in Americans without access to high-speed broadband, but a stark disparity remains. While 97 percent of Americans living in urban areas have access to high-speed fixed service, that number falls to 65 percent and 60 percent in rural and tribal areas, respectively. With President Biden pledging to unify the country, addressing inequity in digital access for rural, low-income, and tribal communities presents a unique opportunity for a bipartisan response from Congress and the administration.
Restoring Internet Freedom Order: When former Chairman Pai enacted the Restoring Internet Freedom Order (RIFO) in 2018, doomsday rhetoric propagated that it would be the end of the internet as we knew it. These hyperbolic predictions proved to be false, and the internet has actually been getting faster over the past few years. As Americans are still heavily reliant on the digital space for essential facets of their lives, the FCC would be wise not to regress to the onerous and outdated Title II regulations. Now, investment in the internet and broadband is critical, and imposing restrictions designed for Depression-era telephone monopolies would be a disservice to consumers.
Mapping: One key factor that hinders bridging the digital divide is data. Broadband mapping allows the FCC to map which areas are underserved and where to direct funding. The Digital Opportunity Data Collection, initiated under the previous FCC regime, moved to address this problem by “crowdsourcing” data from internet service providers and communities. This change in data collection was spurred by bipartisan legislation, the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability (S. 1822, Public Law 116-130), which required the FCC to change its data collection and conduct regular audits of information submitted. Improving granular data collection is vital to allocating resources in a way that will provide the biggest benefit to those communities that need it most. A wide variety of communities would benefit from improved mapping, and it is important to continually improve the data collection process so taxpayer dollars are being appropriately spent.
Telehealth: Telehealth has proven to be an effective service during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the benefits—especially for rural, tribal, or low-income communities where access to health care can already be limited—can extend long after this pandemic ends. Under former Chairman Pai’s leadership, the FCC established a $200-million COVID Telehealth Program which has approved 539 applications in 47 states including Washington, D.C. and Guam. Telehealth allows individuals to avoid unnecessary or costly hospitalizations during the pandemic. As the focus turns to vaccine distribution, it is important Congress and the FCC do not lose sight of the notable upsides to continuing to fund telehealth as a way to bridge the digital divide. NTU has supported bills like Rep. Liz Cheney’s (R-WY) Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act (H.R. 7388 in the 116th Congress), and aims for long term improvements to telehealth regulations and payment that will benefit taxpayers.
Education: The closure of schools and the move to online education has highlighted the severe impacts of the “homework gap.” According to the New York Times, Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, where school is virtual, reported an 83-percent increase in middle and high school students who failed at least one class compared to the previous year, and “the increase was even greater among students with disabilities and students learning English.” On top of dealing with increased social isolation, students without reliable access to broadband have been disproportionately affected by the move to virtual learning. According to a 2018 Pew Research Center survey, about one in five teens reported they are often or sometimes not able to complete homework because they do not have reliable access to a computer or internet. Black and Hispanic low-income teens were the most affected by a lack of access.
With political polarization increasing, closing the digital divide can be a key bipartisan initiative for Democrats and Republicans. One would be hard-pressed to find a member of Congress who does not represent a rural, low-income, or tribal area in their district or state. The increased granularity of data for broadband mapping will help the FCC continue to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars, and ensure that the communities where broadband is most needed are being properly targeted. Improving the efficiency of broadband initiatives like the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, cutting burdensome regulations, and expanding broadband infrastructure are just a few of the places the new FCC regime and Congress can find common ground for the betterment of taxpayers and consumers across the nation.