Broadband

Following the appointment of Brendan Carr as FCC Chair, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) released the following statement from Joe Kane, director of broadband and spectrum policy.

To the extent that the Commission is worried about whether data caps are too low, it should change its policies that have disincentivized broadband investment so consumers can benefit from increases in overall broadband network capacity.

The FCC will likely lose its partisan bid to regulate broadband Internet service under Title II of the Communications Act, either under the major questions doctrine or under the normal principles of statutory interpretation. That eventual decision will confirm it would have been better off focusing on policies that actually benefit consumers.

Canadian telecommunications policy under successive governments has taken for granted that the domestic industry suffers an inadequate supply of market participants. But that assumption is unmoored from reality on various fronts.

Project LEIA is an excellent opportunity to move in the right direction, and we commend NTIA for this bold approach.

A recent working paper found that a 10 percent increase in broadband Internet access among county residents leads to 0.11 fewer suicide deaths per county, a 1.02 percent reduction in suicides overall.

The NTIA’s “Middle-Class Affordability” requirement for BEAD undermines the program’s goal of universal broadband access by diverting funds and potentially imposing rate regulation, ultimately harming consumers by stifling competition and reducing deployment efficiency.

While the intent behind these regulations is commendable, in practice they are too rigid and will be prove counterproductive, hurting consumers.

Access America Series, Episode 4: Jess talks to Brian Allenby, program operations and communications director for the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA), about the state’s progress on BEAD and the challenge of serving rugged and remote communities.

Access America Series, Episode 3: Jess talks to Jake Varn, an associate manager with Pew’s broadband access initiative, about the “low-cost option” in BEAD, how states can implement it, and how it interacts with federal low-income broadband programs.