Podcast about books with current Nonfiction Book releases plus bestseller lists as well as Industry News and trends through insider interviews. You can find about books on cspan now our free mobile app or wherever you get your podcasts. Up next, part of the incompas policy summit in washington, d. C. Focusing on Telecommunications Issues beginning with the conversation with fcc commissioner Geoffrey Starks on federal investments in broadband and the impact the pandemic had on the need for highspeed Internet Access. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] good morning. Good morning. Thank you so much for attending the incompas is a son . Good morning. There we go. Thank you so much for attending the policy summit. Im and you could overcome the president of incompas just thrilled to see so many of you in the room. But to be more thrilled the introducing our next speaker, fcc commissioner geoffrey he is the biggest Kansas City Chiefs fan in the room. Wait, wait, wait wait. I got that wrong. I think maybe we should have little showdown between Chris Shipley and the commissioner. The commissioner. What do you think . [laughing] we have a couple of men in the audience that are just as proud as the commission about the Kansas City Chiefs win in the super bowl. I know when you have three wins in such a short timeframe, the haters are going to hate. [laughing] but but i am not one of them, . Are all right, no. In all seriousness we are just so happy to have the commissioner back with us. Many of you know that he has been committed to bringing affordable, competitive Broadband Service to every american. At our policy summit last year, he was the very first fcc commissioner to call for congress to extend affordable connectivity for ram funding, which is absolutely critical to ensure this program that 23 million low income households to stay connected to broadband. Its scheduled to be out the fundin a timeframe. The fcc just released a Public Notice yesterday saying that the funding, the full funding will runut in april and only partial funding will be available in may. I know hes going to talk more about this. Incompas supports congressng foe bipartisan, bicameral acp extension act. We think this is so, so important. Lets give it up. [applause] i know many of you have been talking to the com staff just a few other folks on staff about what we can do to be hpful in calling for this additional funding. There is a role for each of us in this room to be playing. Incompas will be on the field tomorrow meeting with so many officers got i cant member the last count i saw. If youre not signed up for lobby day, you need to signup for lobby day and help us with this big push. Release on board. So, commissioner starks, you saw i think theres always this close connection because he took her seat. Many of you you know i workr Commission Clyburn and the first part of the obama administration, so theres like a Family Connection here. We are thrilled that you are to talk to us about the great work that you been doing. You have a fantastic resume. Everybodynows how much youre making a difference and we want to say thank you for that, i would really look forward to hearing your comments. [applause]■ ■2 well, thank you, angie. Set the table right there between chiefs, acp and, of course, i am deeply honored as ever to have followed the footsteps of Commission Clyburn. And continue. Really, these jobs are unique and the ability to serve, to serve the american people. I have traveled across the country on the issue that im going to talk about here today, but more than that, thrilled to return, joint incompas policy summit here again this year. Rula crossroads in the landscape of key medications and digital equity. I believe that. As we navigate the complexities of the 21st century, one thing has remained unchanged, and that is our commitment to ensuring that of the american everywhere regardless of where you live or how much you make has access to reliable, affordable, high speed internet. Access to the internet is not just a matter of convenience, its a fundamental issue of fairness, and the necessity for participating in modern life. In many ways our Journey Towards a a more connected, competitive and equitable■uture i believe is at a tipping point. Hardfought gains are at risk of slipping backwards. I want to zoom in on one place, and angie mentioned that is more true than ever, that is in the refunding of the Affordable Connectivity Program. Thats connecting millions come nearly 24 million households throughout america with Free Internet a today, also after a chiefs super bowl when, i stood on this stage and called for, the first to call for a secure funding cap for acp. I believed that thin. I believe that never the case in fact, has only grown stronger. It was clear in the ensuing months have only emphasized that acp is a onceinalifetime catalyst to bridge the digital divide. So since i first called for refunding the acp, the growth has continued to explode. It always exploded through ebv, acp for those in the room in order talking about, but just yearoveryear for much of this year we went up from 69 faced ins to 23 million. Getting this household connected. Spreading. Spreading the word, gaining trust, language barriers, just the enrollment execution. So all of these we have put an polar disorders out of the way, and all in all we have created a program that is very effective nationwide. But lets briefly set the stage here, go back to august 2021. Congress as we heard even from a number of colleagues before that were focusing on congress was crafting legislation with the killer pandemic in mind as well is working to resolve those universal challenges that an equitable broadband deployment had access meant for millions of american households. So working together, a Bipartisan Congress adopted the infrastructure and investment jobs act, the iija, stepping up to the plate with a hisc all americans with highspeed broadband. The iija made two Company Three investments ensure that no one cant left behind. The first was of course a 42. 5 billion bead program to build broadband to unserved and underserved locations. And the second was the 14. 2 billion for the Affordable Connectivity Program to provide that 30 subsidy per month against the price of broadband subscriptions, 35 for tribal communities of course, and went on discount against the price of the broadband device. Wisely realize that our two challenges here when it comes to closing the digital divide, and that they are, in fact, into related. First we must build broadband to reach the doorstep of all americans everywhere. Harder than it sounds. Second, millions of households quite simply cannot afford broadband without assistance. And so according to the Government Accountability office, nearly onethird of disconnected americans say cost is an obstacle standing in a way to subscribing to broadband. Thats where acp of course comes in, ensuring that went high quality highspeed broadband is both available and affordable, isps can deploy netwos with less risk and more certainty that households will subscribe. And a poorly that also means that deployment itself and poorly less expensive. Households that involve lead to less churn for isps, the epson typically devote the potential and realize Subscriber Base of a network which facilitates more deployments. A landmark study concluded that acp works hand in glove with bead, reducing the subsidy necessary to support isp Network Deployment by 25 . So what that really means, really, really means is that as ntia as im sure you heard approves these state bead plans, federal funds are going to start to flow. That means those dollars are going to stretch further and be able to impact more households indeed and reach more unserved and underserved household in bead thanks to the existence of acp. So no one is going to fallout of their chair when i say that due to a lack of funding, acp is in grave jeopardy. In fact, weve already started the lying down processor at the sec, shutting down the program would push those subscribing households to make hard decisions. As of the charlie savage, we stopped involving new enrollees and now we are in that twomonth wind down where were going to figure out how to manage the program but mandy those that are currently enrolled. Heres the hard decision that this households are going have to make. First, potentially facing skyrocketing monthly internet bills for the vulnerable household, or second, disconnecting from the internet itself. We cannot let that happen. To put it plainly, acpad in helping lowincome americans get online and stay online. In fact, its been the most Successful Program ever in a decadeslong bipartisan effort to solve the digital divide. Acps success of course lies in its universal appeal. Americans from all 50 states are enrolled. When the commission was forced to freeze enrollment, over 130 households this is the freeze numbers over 130 households in my home state of kansas, over 270,000 in nevada. 1. 1 million in ohio. 1. 7 million in million in florida. 558,000 in louisiana. 552,000 in arizona. 470,000 in virginia. Thats of course just a smattering. What is that, six states . Enrollment was growing steadily at the time week over week. Notably the program surpassed something that i continued, surpassed expectations and rule in poland. Let that be set clearly. In the work of the program was so popular. Nationwide, nearly 70 of residents surveyed by aarp said they support congress continuing to fund the program. That same study found that acp enables those personal connections online for seniors with combat loneliness while document for folks and are a lot of ways to look at the data. Let me give you a few ways that i thought about the data. Because its clear that acp is making a real difference in communities that are historically underserved. The data shows approximately 50 households participating in acp are black and late to do. Let me say that again. 50 of households participating in acp are black and latino. Over 329,000 tribal households, acp is also supporting elderly americans with over 4 million seniors, and 10 million americans over the age of 50, benefiting from the program each month. Finally, looking at the data, there have to get of the families are military families. So simply meet americans in all walks of their life. Ive seen it firsthand, the vulnerable households. As a true champion of acp, ive crisscrossed the country to help push and increase enrollment. I see some events in the audience that have also worked sidebyside with me in helping to get enrollments up, increasing awareness of the progra but truly i have more than anything endeavored to it directly from people, the people, on how having access to affordable, highquality broadband impacts of them, impacts their lives, with the risk now of losing it would mean. A few of their stories with you. You dont have to my word for it. I met jerry, a Senior Living in Public Housing in chicago enrolled in acp. Hes lived his whole life without ever even owning a computer until acp helped him through the program. He got connected with Digital Literacy courses, received his first computer, and what he really did with the computer is what really matters. He took virtually those classes and took the import steps to improve his ailing healthcare with access to the internet, including reapplying for his Health Care Benefits online. Ot denise, a mother of four Young Children could not afford to pay for Internet Service, and that was a real problem for her. Her children were attending grade school remotely, relied on Internet Access as they shifted from textbooks online learning. And her children, she told me, were at risk of falling behind. Thanks to acp she got her for fe her face right now. She looked at me with the combination of grave worry and deep frustration, and said she truly didnt know what was going to happen for her, for her family if and when acp goes away. Timberlake was a senior in in lake county illinois. Hes 80 but was spry, active, with wearing a trench coat and was dressed impeccably, said that he was computer illiterate, and never even turn on a computer in his great 80 years on this earth. We first heard of acp, many of you in the room who have worked with folks in getting folks in it was just too good to be true. So we hesitated for a really long time. Thanks to acp he got Digital Literacy courses, set his first text message to his grown daughter replied of course was, dad, welcome to the 21st century. Thought that was fun. But like manyam of course also took advantage of broadband and had a significant medical diagnosis as well. Acp has helped him with his telehealth. Last story. I could go on. You know, ive met p portland to seattle, to santa fe. And a senator lujan will be a, understand later, at the great pleasure of traveling up to with him to visit tribal communities, talked to them about acp. Chicago, atlanta, new jersey, ill folks have their own story like we all do in life but they all have similar message when youre talking to his low income households. And so deborah also is in federal housing assistance. Moved away from her family and her church community, told me that thanks to acp she now finds herself hooked on the internet. She goes to church online, zoom church, and speaks to her grandkids every week. Shes taking advantage as well to use mapquest. She mapquest everything before she decides to go outside of her house. Started a needing business online. And i was there visiting her just after valentine today. She said she has started Online Dating for seniors. But i didnt ask any more questions. [laughing] but i wish her luck. But when we discussed the end of this program, she asked me as well, what a going to do to keep up with what this has put in my life . And she said as well, and he truly heartbreaking way, am i going to have to eat less food . Thats just crazy, yall. The time has come. The time is come to act. Without additional appropriations from congress we Just Announced that april will be the last fully funded month of acp. So this means that in a few short weeks millions of americans will no longer have access to connectivity, that that come to rely on for the health care, for their job, for connections with the family, their kids, education and more. These are the families who know what it means to try to stretch of dollars. They really do. And they are struggling to figure out how theyre going to stay online if acp ends. Truth be told, unfortunately,■mi predict that the end result will be that many of these households will be unable to stay online, will be unable to stay connected. According to survey Data Collected by the fcc, 68 of households say that they are inconsistent or zero connectivity prior to acp. 80 of them siding affordability as the reason for the lack of connectivity. This same survey reported 77 of respondents say that losing their acp benefit would disrupt their service, make them change their plans, or drop in the service completely. Another study of unconnected households found that then mean price, the mean price responded say they could they would be at most ten dollars. The majority of them said they couldnt pay anything. And the majority of these households are subscription vulnerable, meaning they find it very difficult to fit into the Monthly Budget here and so taking a step back and looking at some of the macro policies in place here, i just really see if acp goes the way that our very limited options. A few states do have affordability programs that could serve as a backstop. So then that means we are looking to what i will say generously is the charity of Internet Service providers. Isps have agreed to create lowcost plans in partnership with acp. Many of you were there when we were at the white house where theou of folks would be now able to have Free Internet. But theres little, little Business Case i foresee for isps to keep nearly 49 households connected for free in the absence of support. And so we are funding to lapse, the loss of trust is also significant factor for these former subscribers. I think that would be substantial and would be difficult to stand up acp or some iteration of it as Replacement Program in the future. Including trying to just keep this households online at all. So i think this would be a a devastating devastating loss of households connectivity. And truly to again to have the Human Element of this i think would be devastating tohese households. Nearly a quarter of teenagers living in households making less than 30,000 per year say they sometimes cannot complete their homework. Again, the homework gap that weve long heard about due to the lack of reliable computer Internet Access. Commissions of the survey shows among students 1824, 75 are using acp to complete their school work. Access to the internet also increases the moment and earnings for low income users. That benefits us all, right . Access to Health Telehealth is a game changer. Data showing it increases access to care, decreases costs. 72 of acp households report using the Broadband Service to schedule those healthcare appointments. And so these studies highlight that at times when broadband is most needed, loss of a job, healthcare, scares, these are the times that households actua