Digital Inclusion

Removing Roadblocks on Bridge Over Digital Divide: Explaining the Affordable, Accessible Internet for All Act

Published

3 years ago

January 5, 2021

Photo of House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., in March 2011, from the office House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office

While the bulk of the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All (AAIA) Act proposes to invest $100 billion to expand broadband access in unserved and underserved parts of the country, the legislation also looks to build an essential bridge across the digital divide that goes beyond new infrastructure.

An important part of the equation involves addressing laws and policies that have proven to be obstacles to Internet connectivity for tens of millions of Americans.

In our previous installments examining the AAIA, we covered the big-ticket items – the why, how and where the $100+ billion would be invested. This final installment in the series covers the last three major sections of the bill: Title IV – Community Broadband; Title V – Broadband Infrastructure Deployment; and Title VI – Repeal of Rule and Prohibition on Use of NPRM.

These last three sections of the AAIA do not call for any federal appropriations but instead aim to tackle several thorny policy challenges.

Removing State Barriers to Municipal Broadband Initiatives

Title IV – Community Broadband (Section 4001) of the bill is straight-forward. It would prohibit state governments from enforcing laws or regulations that prevent local governments, public-private partnerships, and cooperatives from delivering broadband service.

As it stands now, there are 19 states across the country where state legislators have passed laws designed to shield the biggest corporate Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from competition. Those laws were mostly written by lobbyists for these behemoth monopolies and duopolies, despite the fact that the Big Telcos have failed to deliver reliable, affordable and truly high-speed Internet access to large segments of the population.

In Colorado, for example, legislators in that state passed SB-152, a law that prevents local governments from investing in broadband infrastructure. Fortunately for Coloradoans, the law was amended to allow municipalities to opt-out through local referendum votes, which over 140 Colorado communities have done in the 15 years since Qwest (now CenturyLink) and Comcast successfully lobbied for passage of the anti-competition bill.

In North Carolina, home to the celebrated Greenlight Municipal Broadband Network, a 2011 state law (HB-129) effectively outlaws municipal networks in the Volunteer State by saddling local governments with a thicket of red tape, including territorial restrictions on existing networks. The building of the Greenlight Network, thankfully, predated the state law, although it continues to impede other municipalities in the state from building their own networks.

As we have written about on numerous occasions, we are strongly in favor of locally-controlled networks and the distinct advantages they provide in terms of affordability and superior customer service, as well as the benefit of keeping local funds in the community instead of dollars being siphoned away to the fill the coffers of out-of-state corporations who extract premium prices as a monopoly provider.

While we support this section of the AAIA, we also recognize the likelihood that some state governors will resent the federal government preempting them just as much as local officials are angry when states restrict local authority.

National “Dig Once” Policy

The next section of the AAIA, Title V – Broadband Infrastructure Deployment (Section 5001), however, provides something the National Governors Association favors: a “dig once” provision to better coordinate transportation and broadband infrastructure projects, while giving states flexibility and preventing any unfunded mandates.

This section of the bill would create a “Dig Once Funding Task Force” to estimate the cost of a nationwide “dig once” requirement. The Task Force, in consultation with stakeholders in rural communities and communities with limited access to broadband, would then propose funding options to implement a “dig once” requirement.

“Dig once,” which effectively eliminates the need to dig up recently-paved roads by requiring broadband conduit to be laid during road construction projects, is an easily overlooked but important consideration. It’s important because up to 90 percent of costs associated with underground deployment are often due to the excavation rather than materials, which is why forward-thinking “dig once” policies save tax dollars, to say nothing of the relief it provides commuters too often stuck in road construction traffic.

The challenge is one of administration. It is not clear who would be responsible for maintaining and leasing out the access as these highways cross many jurisdictions. ILSR and others have encouraged the federal government to focus on bottlenecks like overpasses, bridges, tunnels, railroad crossings, and the like rather than all highways. This would provide most of the benefits at a fraction of the costs and administrative burdens.

Saving a Tribal Lifeline

The final section of the AAIA, Title VI – Repeal of Rule and Prohibition on Use of NPRM (Section 6001), seeks to repeal the widely-criticized rule the FCC adopted in November 2017 that sought to “reform” Tribal Lifeline policies “to increase the availability and affordability of high-quality communications services on Tribal lands.”

While the rule was adopted under the guise of curbing abuses of Lifeline funds, outgoing FCC Chairman Ajit Pai with the support of GOP FCC commissioners, moved to eliminate Lifeline benefits in tribal areas. The program was designed for low-income households on tribal lands to receive a monthly subsidy – the $9.25 Lifeline discount plus an additional $25 – to help qualifying tribal households pay for broadband services.

Several companies had committed fraud in Indian Country to maximize their gains under the program and rather than sorting that out, Chairman Pai aimed to simply shut down needed benefits in tribal areas. In February 2019, a federal appeals court temporarily blocked the move.

After the court-ruling, which allowed the Tribal Lifeline program to continue or require the FCC to re-do the rulemaking process in accordance with the court’s order, Indian Country leaders hailed the decision.

Gene DeJordy, an attorney for the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, lauded the legal victory and said it meant “that First Americans who live in some of the most impoverished areas of the country can continue receiving essential Lifeline services that they depend on in emergencies, and for work, family care, education, and other vital day-to-day needs.”

Section 6001 looks to settle the matter once and for all by preventing the FCC from adopting a rule to cap Universal Service Funds from which the Lifeline program draws its funding, codifying the view of broadband advocates and Democratic lawmakers who rightfully criticized the rule. This change will likely lead to renewed calls to deal with “contribution reform” – how the Universal Service Fund is filled.

Final Thoughts

In our view, the AAIA represents an important step forward and should be the building block for broadband legislation in the 117th Congress. We believe Congress should provide more focused support for urban needs, which have been overlooked historically, as a considerable amount of effort has been focused on rural areas that are less politically controversial.

As with so many other policy areas that involve the allocation of federal resources, the evidence indicates systemic racial imbalances even as every demographic group in the U.S. has challenges accessing high-quality Internet. White Americans have enjoyed disproportionate government support to address these barriers to access and we believe it is a simple matter of equity to craft policies and legislation that ensures no segment of the population is left behind.

This concludes our series on the AAIA. The previous parts of our series below:

Major Change on the Horizon? Explaining the Affordable, Accessible Internet for All Act – Part 1

Building a Bridge over the Digital Divide: Explaining the Affordable, Accessible Internet for All Act – Part 2

“You Can’t Use an Old Map To Explore a New World”: Explaining the Affordable, Accessible Internet for All Act – Part 3

Big Bucks for Broadband in the Balance: Explaining the Affordable, Accessible Internet for All Act – Part 4

Editor’s Note: This piece was authored by Sean Gonsalves, a senior reporter, editor and researcher for the Institute for Local Self Reliance’s Community Broadband Network Initiative. Originally published on MuniNetworks.org, the piece is part of a collaborative reporting effort between Broadband Breakfast and the Community Broadband Networks program at ILSR.

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Big Bucks for Broadband in the Balance: Explaining the Affordable, Accessible Internet for All Act

Sean Gonsalves

Sean Gonsalves is a longtime former reporter, columnist, and news editor with the Cape Cod Times. He is also a former nationally syndicated columnist in 22 newspapers, including the Oakland Tribune, Kansas City Star and Seattle Post-Intelligencer. His work has also appeared in the Boston Globe, USA Today, the Washington Post and the International Herald-Tribune. An award-winning newspaper reporter and columnist, Sean also has extensive experience in both television and radio. Sean has made appearances on WGBH’s “Greater Boston” TV show with Emily Rooney and was a frequent guest on New England Cable News (NECN), commentating on a variety of Cape Cod tourist attractions. He left print journalism in 2014 to work as a senior communication consultant for Regan Communications and Pierce-Cote, advising a variety of business, non-profit and government agency clients on communication strategy. In October 2020, Sean joined the Institute for Local Self Reliance staff as a senior reporter, editor and researcher for ILSR’s Community Broadband Network Initiative.

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Digital Inclusion

Connect20 Summit: The Crucial Role of Digital Skills Training

Digital skills are a necessary foundation for workforce development, said panelists at the Nov. 14 event.

Published

2 weeks ago

November 20, 2023

Broadband Breakfast Staff

WASHINGTON, November 20, 2023 — A panel discussion at the Connect20 Summit here on Tuesday emphasized the importance of digital skills in enhancing connectivity and ensuring equitable access to technology.

Caroline Treschitta, a policy analyst at the National Skills Coalition, underscored the necessity of foundational digital skills for workforce development. She highlighted the Coalition’s focus on lifelong upskilling and reskilling, particularly in response to labor market shifts like the pandemic. Citing statistics from Indiana, she said one digital skill could result in a 23% wage increase, or the equivalent to an additional $8,000 to $9,000 annually.

She also said that one in three youth also lack foundational digital competency.

Chrissie Powell, chief growth and impact officer at the digital skills training group Byte Back detailed the organization’s efforts at tech inclusion focused on historically marginalized communities.

Byte Back’s approach begins with basic digital literacy, such as teaching how to power on a computer and safely navigate the internet, she said, extending to more advanced skills like Microsoft Office and IT fundamentals. Powell emphasized the significance of building confidence alongside skills to overcome fear, a major barrier in technology adoption.

Graham Jackson, social media and content analyst at Human IT, spoke about the organization’s national digital equity efforts, including providing reliable devices, internet connectivity, and digital skills training. He also mentioned the non-profit’s work in integrating financial literacy into digital skills programs, illustrating the connectedness of multiple technical skills to the domain of digital inclusion.

Representing the Ashbury Senior Computer Community Center, Gina Birch highlighted the organization’s work in digital literacy for seniors. The group has adapted its approach to cater to the varying skill levels of older adults. Burch also discussed the need for ongoing tech support and the evolution of training methods to keep pace with changing demographics and technological advancements.

The panelists called for increased funding and resources and emphasized that digital literacy is the bridge to workforce development as well as an integral part of social determinants of health.

The session was moderated by Yvette Scorse, communications director at the National Digital Inclusion Alliance. NDIA, Network On and Broadband Breakfast organized the Connect20 Summit.

To stay involved with the Digital Navigator movement, sign up at the Connect20 Summit.

Digital Inclusion

Federal Officials Agree: Infrastructure Alone Will Not Close the Digital Divide

Officials from broadband funding programs emphasized the important of non-deployment projects at the Connect20 Summit in Washington.

Published

2 weeks ago

November 14, 2023

Jake Neenan

Photo of Drew Clark, Treasury Department's Joey Wender, USDA's Laurel LLeverrier, and NTIA's Sarah Morris (left to right) by Network On

WASHINGTON, November 14, 2023 – Federal officials from three broadband funding programs said on Tuesday that expanding infrastructure is not enough to close the digital divide.

“It’s not enough to just have a line that goes to your house,” said Sarah Morris, a deputy administrator at the Commerce Department, the agency responsible for the Biden administration’s $42.5 billion broadband expansion program. “If you can’t afford that connection, that is not of service to you. If you don’t have the devices to connect to that line, you’re not going to be able to get online in a meaningful way.”

She spoke at the Connect20 Summit as part of a panel with officials from the Treasury Department, which administers the $10 billion Capital Projects Fund, and the Department of Agriculture, whose ReConnect program has allocated $3.3 billion to rural broadband on top of its longstanding Rural Utilities Service subsidy. Broadband Breakfast editor Drew Clark moderated the discussion.

They echoed the position of advocates who have pushed for a more comprehensive approach to expanding broadband access and adoption.

And funding agencies seem to agree. More than $1 billion of the Treasury’s CPF funds have been allocated to projects that build community centers rather than infrastructure, and all providers are required to participate in the Affordable Connectivity Program, a monthly internet subsidy.

“These are places where people can congregate and digital navigators can work,” said Joey Wender, director of the CPF. Digital navigators refers to people who work to get communities acquainted with online services.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, where Morris works, oversees a dedicated digital equity grant in tandem with the larger Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. The NTIA requires states to produce a digital equity plan – a plan to address broadband adoption gaps in rural and low-income communities, often through information sessions and affordability efforts – as part of the BEAD program.

That $2.75 billion digital equity grant program is being administered in three phases: planning grants, capacity grants, and competitive grants.

The $60 million set aside for planning grants has largely been disbursed. It’s intended to help states draft their digital equity plans. According to the NTIA, 28 states have released drafts of their plans for public comment. Final drafts are due to the NTIA within one year of receiving planning grant funds.

Capacity grants are set to start up in 2024, with $1.44 billion being made available for states to implement the plans they draw up with planning grant funds.

In addition to states, the $1.25 billion competitive grant program will be open to applications from nonprofits, local governments, and anchor institutions like libraries. It’s set to accept those applications after capacity grants are awarded.

To stay involved with the Digital Navigator movement, sign up at the Connect20 Summit.

Digital Inclusion

Drew Clark: We Need Humans to Make Digital Inclusion Work

A core component of Americans — about 20 percent — are not connected to the benefits of better broadband.

Published

3 weeks ago

November 14, 2023

Drew Clark

The author of this Expert Opinion is Drew Clark, Editor and Publisher of Broadband Breakfast

Humans still matter.

In the age of digital automation and personalized AI agents, this simple truth may be the most surprising fact of the burgeoning movement for digital navigators.

Today (and tomorrow), we’re excited to be a part of the Connect20 Summit here in Washington and online. Together with Network:On and the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, Broadband Breakfast has helped to gather the key leaders in this space for this free event here in Washington.

It’s not too late to participate online. In fact, we invite you to view the event page and sign up for Free Zoom Registration. You’ll also receive access to the videos of each of today’s sessions.

Listening to Angela Siefer

In the lead-up to the event, I had to chance to catch up with Angela Siefer, executive director of the NDIA. She’s a leader in the digital equity movement, and has done so much to define this field that we now call “digital inclusion.”

“Technology is not going to solve the digital divide” without people involved, said Siefer. “There is a necessity of a human” who can guide or navigate those who need help managing technology and the internet.

Think of it this way: Will our nation enable digital adoption through better broadband access, or through more affordable internet connections? The answer, of course, is both/all. Access, affordability and adoption must work together.

Siefer says, referencing the Affordable Connectivity Program that provides a $30/month subsidy to lower-income internet users, “If we had only ACP and no digital navigators, we wouldn’t make much progress. If we had only classes in front of an instructor, that wouldn’t work either.”

The last few years have prompted a groundswell of understanding, Siefer said, about the role of digital mediators, i.e, “a person who can help you with your digital needs.”

The Connect20 Summit will discuss the role of these persons that we call digital navigators.

Why Connect20?

The Connect20 Summit is built around the understanding that a core component of Americans — about 20 percent — that are NOT connected to the benefits available through broadband internet services.

In a blog post last year, officials at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration highlighted the fact that “internet access means access to education, healthcare, jobs, and entertainment. It’s essential to full participation in our modern economy,” wrote the authors, Michelle Cao and Rafi Goldberg.

“Still, NTIA data show that about one in five U.S. households are not connected to the Internet at home,” they write, citing barriers that range from cost to access to no computer to a lack of interest or awareness.

The NTIA’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program is one important initiative to make sure all Americans are connected to affordable broadband; the ACP program administered by the Federal Communications Commission is another. Both are enabled by the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was signed two years ago tomorrow.

But what does this mean for digital navigators?

From a stool to a ladder

Previous discussions about digital inclusion often centered around a metaphor of a “stool” that included access, affordability and adoption.

But Siefer said that we now realize there is a better paradigm. It is a digital ladder or pathway with about five steps:

The first is affordable connectivity itself. This presumes access to broadband, but it also includes making individuals aware of ACP and helping them sign up for it.

Second is the role of appropriate digital devices. Lots of work that needs to be done in this space because of a surfeit of low-quality computing equipment that’s become too prevalent since the pandemic, said Siefer.

Third are digital skills. This is where digital navigators really shine. They guide the disconnected by understanding their needs and empathizing with what they must learn and where they want to go.

Fourth is tech support. This is generally more specific to devices that have stopped working. “If you have resources, you go to your Genius Bar,” quipped Siefer. “If you don’t have resources, the device gathers dust.”

Fifth are applications. Interestingly, this can mean “application” in the sense of something like an application for benefits or an unemployment application. Or it could mean a software application that someone is trying to use for the first time. While NDIA doesn’t focus on specific applications, someone who has been trained by a digital navigator will have the confidence to get answers to their digital dilemmas.

Better Broadband, Better Lives

The confluence of the IIJA’s provisions to promote broadband equity, access and deployment present a once-in-a-generation opportunity to connect these 20% of Americans who don’t subscribe to home broadband.

Digital navigators are indeed the key to helping all American get on this pathway.

Our motto at Broadband Breakfast is “Better Broadband, Better Lives.” We’re passionate about this topic not just because we want better broadband. But it’s also because – with the help of digital navigators – we want to see everyone on the ladder of opportunity that leads to better lives.