Today, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced that he has asked the nation’s broadband Internet access providers to take the Keep Americans Connected Pledge, under which the companies make a number of promises with regard to keeping customers connected during the COVID-19 public health crisis. In addition, the Chairman urged providers to undertake a series of other steps, including relaxing data caps, waiving overage fees and starting, expanding and improving broadband offerings for low-income Americans. 

The following statement can be attributed to Gigi Sohn:
Chairman Pai should be commended for using his bully pulpit to get broadband companies to take steps to help Americans stay connected during the COVID19 crisis. But the companies need to do far more than have promised under the Keep America Connected Pledge. Among other things, they should heed the Chairman’s plea to relax data caps and overage fees, expand, improve and if necessary lower the price of low-income broadband programs, and create such programs where they don’t already exist. Carriers should also permit tethering mobile service to devices if they don’t already do so, and increase bandwidth if necessary at no extra charge to ensure that everyone has fast, reliable broadband.

But the FCC also needs to look at what it can do in the short term to ensure that Americans who need to work, learn or get medical advice from home can do so. Among other things, it should allow the use of E-Rate funds for schools and libraries to pay for mobile wifi hotspots so that low-income students can continue to learn from home.  It should also stop its war on Lifeline and make it easier rather than harder for low-income Americans to adopt broadband, including increasing the small $9.25 subsidy.  

Gigi Sohn is a Distinguished Fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy and a Benton Foundation Senior Fellow & Public Advocate. She was Counselor to former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler from November 2013-December 2016. In January 2020, she testified before a House Subcommittee on what Congress, the FCC and industry can do to ensure that all Americans have robust and affordable access to broadband. Gigi can be reached for comment at the above email or at 202-253-0876.