Levin: Broadband Affordability Should Be Republican Priority

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11, 2024 – Efforts to make broadband affordable are losing steam as funding for key programs runs dry and political support wanes, according to Blair Levin, a policy analyst from New Street Research.

“You have an administration coming in that, at least as far as Trump is concerned, has never articulated a need to connect low-income people,” said Levin, former chief of staff to FCC Chairman Reed Hundt and executive director for the United States National Broadband Plan, during a conversation Wednesday hosted by Fiber Broadband Association.

Still, Levin emphasized the importance of government intervention in bridging the digital divide, particularly through programs like the Affordable Connectivity Program, which helped 23 million American households cover the cost of a monthly Internet subscription before its expiration on May 31, 2024.