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The FCC Just Authorized a $3.2 Billion Dollar Program Meant To Bring Low-Income Americans Online

The Federal Communications Commission unanimously voted late Thursday to adopt the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program—a $3.2 billion dollar initiative meant to lower the cost of internet services for the tens of millions of families struggling with connectivity during the ongoing pandemic.

gizmodo.com

The Commission will offer eligible households of up to $50 dollars per month for broadband access, or up to $75 dollars per month if their home is built on designated Tribal lands. Those that qualify will also be getting a one-time discount of up to $100 dollars off a tablet or computer. FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel stated that she expects the Program to be open to eligible recipients “within the next 60 days.”

Per the FCC, the Program is open to households that are already plugged into a pandemic-relief program offered by their broadband provider, or those that are part of the FCC’s Lifeline program. It also includes Pell grant and Medicaid recipients along with those that have “lost jobs and seen their income reduced in the last year.”

The $3.2 billion dollar sum was approved by Congress as part of the $900 billion dollar COVID-19 relief package late December.

FCC approves changes to phone subsidies on tribal lands

Federal regulators approved major changes Thursday to a program that discounts phone service for low-income residents on tribal land.

www.washingtonpost.com

The FCC says the Lifeline program is in serious need of reform to cut down on waste, fraud and abuse.

The FCC says resellers have no incentive to expand communications networks on tribal land because they don’t own them.

People like Joe Redcloud of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota say eliminating resellers will give Native Americans fewer or no options for mobile service. “This will be a travesty to Indian Country because it will turn back the clock to times when consumers had but one choice,” he said this week.

Rich and poor teenagers use the web differently – here's what this is doing to inequality

Poorer teenagers spend roughly the same time online as their wealthier classmates. But they're using this time differently, and it's counting against them.

www.weforum.org

In many countries, young people from wealthy and poor backgrounds spend roughly the same amount of time online. But it’s how they’re using the internet, not how long they’re using it that really matters.

This is according to new research from the OECD, which found that richer teenagers were more likely to use the internet to search for information or to read news rather than to chat or play video games.

But in all countries, what students do with computers, from using e-mail to reading news, is directly linked to their “socio-economic status” with inequality continuing, even in countries where all young people have easy access to the internet.

“Equal access does imply equal opportunities,” says the report, which goes on to point out that while anyone can use the internet to learn about the world, improve their skills or apply for a well-paid job, disadvantaged students are less likely to be aware of the opportunities that digital technology offers.

“They may not have the knowledge or skills required to turn online opportunities into real opportunities,” the report says.