Making the case for a permanent broadband subsidy tennessean.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tennessean.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
9:34 am UTC May. 22, 2021
Lawmakers in Washington finally seem to be serious about connecting every American to high-speed broadband. After years of getting it wrong with false starts and broken promises, it’s vital they get this one right.
There are two paths Congress can take: a relatively simple, direct approach that builds on the strengths of our current broadband ecosystem and closes the digital divide in rural and urban areas with targeted, laser focused subsidies.
Then there is the speculative, over-regulatory approach pushed by some beltway zealots and special interests – unnecessarily overcomplicating this challenge with far-left shibboleths that have failed miserably in the past.
There s a simple and easy path to bridging the broadband divide Let s take it yahoo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yahoo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Opinion: Here’s how we end the digital divide
By Angela Siefer
The COVID-19 pandemic dispelled any doubt about the importance of broadband in the quest for equity in the digital age. The federal government is now rethinking its entire approach to universal broadband access and use and it’s about time.
A whopping 27% of Americans report not subscribing to home broadband. Texas isn t faring much better: According to the Census Bureau, 19% of households across the state do not have a home broadband subscription.
While the challenge of the availability of internet service in rural areas is real and urgent, our nation’s digital divide is also driven by huge disparities in broadband adoption.