Jessica Dine
Policy Analyst
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @jess_dine
Jessica Dine is a policy analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. She holds a B.A. in economics and philosophy from Grinnell College.
Recent Publications
Don’t Let ACP Lapse Over the First-time Subscriber Fallacy
In a time when broadband affordability plays a major role in the digital divide, the Affordable Connectivity Program meets an obvious need. Winding it down comes at the expense of every American relying on the program and of consumers’ trust in government agencies, digital inclusion groups, and Internet service providers.
No, NTIA’s Approach to BEAD’s Low-cost Option Requirement Is Not Rate Regulation
The rationale for BEAD's low-cost option requirement and NTIA's insistence on checking it upfront is clear: Billions of dollars spent on new networks for services that disproportionately offline populations can’t afford would be billions of dollars wasted. None of this is rate regulation.
Comments to the FCC on Safeguarding and Securing the Open Internet
While Congress should codify consensus net neutrality principles in statute, until it does, the current Title I framework, combined with targeted initiatives to address specific areas of concern, provides a more prudent path forward.
Trends in State BEAD Plans: The Measurement Problem
In their Five-Year BEAD plans, states’ strategies for achieving digital inclusion provide an early indication of their approach to the central goal of BEAD: to get all residents meaningfully, not just nominally, connected.
Good and Bad Reasons for Allocating Spectrum to Licensed, Unlicensed, Shared, and Satellite Uses
Policymakers inundated with self-serving arguments for specific spectrum allocation need ways to evaluate which actually advance the public interest. By focusing on the goal of productive spectrum use, one can differentiate between reasoning that would enhance productivity and that which would only advance private interests.
Pending: A Modern U.S. Spectrum Strategy
The United States has long been at the forefront of spectrum policy, but it seems more willing to abdicate that post than to build a coherent spectrum strategy that prepares modern-day spectrum policy for the next decade.
Affordable Internet Is Jeopardized by Outdated Priorities
Congress created the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) in 2019 to bridge the digital divide. But there’s a problem: ACP’s funding will run out next summer.
Trends in State BEAD Plans: Common Challenges
The NTIA requires states and territories to develop iterative plans for maximizing broadband access among their residents. Grantees are currently putting out their Five-Year Plans, the first of multiple documents describing their current broadband needs, anticipated concerns, and plans for addressing them.
Enabling Equity: Why Universal Broadband Access Rates Matter
High rates of broadband adoption benefit all of society, yet those who stand to benefit the most are also least likely to be online. Pushing hard for near-universal connectivity is crucial if we want technology to help bridge, rather than widen, existing divides.
Comments to the NTIA Regarding the Ongoing Internet Use Survey
Since households that are still offline are, by definition, unable to be reached through standard methods, flexible, data-driven approaches that target solutions to remaining barriers to connectivity are key to closing the digital divide.
Fact of the Week: NAEP Reports a 4 Point Decline in 13-Year-Old Students’ Reading Abilities and a 9 Point Drop in Math Scores
The National Assessment of Educational Progress for the 2022-2023 school year reports a 4 point decline in 13-year-old students’ reading abilities and a 9 point drop in math scores, the largest decline seen in half a century.
Fact of the Week: Of $6.7 Billion Paid Out for Broadband-Specific Programs in FY 2021, 76 Percent Went to Digital Inclusion and Adoption
Of the agencies that submitted broadband funding data to NTIA, $6.7 billion was paid out for broadband-specific programs in FY 2021, and 76 percent of that went to digital inclusion and adoption.
Recent Events and Presentations
Digital Literacy: The Key to Getting Americans Online
Watch now for a panel discussion with organizations on the front lines of teaching digital literacy and helping people get connected.
The Power of Navigation Services at the Connect20 Summit
Jessica Dine speaks about the data behind digital navigation services during a panel at the Connect20 Summit.
The State of U.S. Broadband in 2022: Reassessing the Whole Picture
Join ITIF for a discussion about the current state of broadband in the United States, how to best assess U.S. broadband, what the remaining areas for improvement are, and the best practices for solving them.