FCC readies rules for $50 emergency broadband subsidies
The acting chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission, Jessica Rosenworcel, introduced a proposal on Monday that would set rules for allocating $3.2 billion in emergency relief to subsidize broadband for millions of poor Americans during the coronavirus pandemic.
Rosenworcel began circulating her proposal, called the Emergency Broadband Benefit, among FCC commissioners. It's scheduled to be voted on at the FCC's March meeting. The plan calls for the federal government to allocate $50 a month to subsidize broadband internet service for low income households. People living on tribal lands will get a $75 a month subsidy.
The plan would put into action money Congress allocated in December as part of the COVID-19 relief bill. Congress stipulated that the money would be available to households that are at the poverty line or 135 percent above it, those who qualify for free and reduced school lunches, or people who have experienced substantial loss of income since Feb. 29, 2020.
The FCC estimates that at least 14.5 million homes don't have access to broadband. The pandemic has shone a light on the inequities that exist among people with and without access to high-speed internet. For millions of Americans, the digital divide exists because they live in a rural part of the country where broadband infrastructure simply isn't available. For other families in rural and suburban markets, broadband service may be available but unaffordable. During the pandemic, students without internet service haven't been able to attend school. And adults who can't go into offices have been unable to work remotely.
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