The $900 billion pandemic relief bill passed by Congress
on December 22nd and signed by President Trump five days later,
includes $7 billion for broadband programs.
Approximately half of the total, $3.2 billion, will fund an emergency
broadband benefit program wherein internet service providers (ISPs) will temporarily
discount internet service to eligible households by as much as $50 per month. (Details of the program will be spelled out in
FCC regulations, expected to be released within the next 60 days.)
The focus on broadband is late, but better late than
nothing at all. According to an October
2020 Pew survey, approximately 70 percent of the workforce is now working from
home. (This compares to 20 percent
before the coronavirus outbreak.) Many children and young adults, from
elementary school to college, are, at least partially, learning virtually. Without available and affordable connectivity
for all, the digital divide enlarges gaps in income (wealth), education, and
hope.
According to the FCC’s 2020 Broadband Deployment Report,
94.4 percent of the U.S. population has access to fixed terrestrial (cable,
fiber, DSL) broadband (25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload). By geographical density, broadband deployment
is 98.5 percent in urban areas, 77.7 percent in rural areas, and 72.3 percent
on tribal lands. At the state level, broadband
deployment is as high as 99.2 percent in New Jersey and as low as 78.7 percent
in Arkansas.
According to the Census Bureau’s 2019 American
Community Survey (ACS), so pre-covid, nearly 93 percent of U.S. households have
a computer in their home and 77.3 percent subscribe to a wired broadband service
(includes cable, fiber, DSL, and satellite).
Again, there is quite a bit of variation by state. In New Jersey, over 82 percent of households
have a wired broadband subscription, compared to just 60 percent in
Arkansas.
The variation in access and usage is even greater at
the county (and city) level. For
example, in the state of Pennsylvania, 95.4 percent of households have access and
nearly 77 percent subscribe to fixed terrestrial broadband. However, in the low income, sparsely populated
(rural) area of Sullivan county, less than 70 percent of households subscribe
to a wired broadband service. Why? Lack of access and financial means. By contrast, in Montgomery country, which is
more densely populated (suburban) and wealthier, broadband usage jumps to
nearly 85 percent. Why? Abundant access
and financial means to subscribe. The
county of Philadelphia tells a slightly different story. Broadband availability exceeds 99 percent, yet
less than 70 percent of households have a broadband subscription. Why? A simple matter of affordability for the
monthly service (and a computing device).
|
|
|
Broadband Subscription (%) |
No Internet Subscription (incl. cellular plan) by HH Income |
|
||||
|
|
No Computer in HH (%) |
Cable, Fiber, DSL |
Satellite |
Total Wired |
All Income Groups |
< $20K |
$75K+ |
Median HH income ($) |
|
US |
7.1 |
70.8 |
6.5 |
77.3 |
13.4 |
35.6 |
4.3 |
62,843 |
|
New Jersey |
6.4 |
78.6 |
3.7 |
82.3 |
10.5 |
34.9 |
3.3 |
82,545 |
|
Arkansas |
13.8 |
51.6 |
8.4 |
60.0 |
26.5 |
49.8 |
10.8 |
48,952 |
|
Pennsylvania |
9.3 |
72.5 |
4.4 |
76.9 |
14.1 |
35.3 |
4.1 |
61,744 |
|
Sullivan |
16.7 |
60.4 |
8.5 |
68.9 |
25.3 |
54.9 |
13.6 |
47,407 |
|
Philadelphia |
13.9 |
64.6 |
4.4 |
69.0 |
22.9 |
43.9 |
6.3 |
45,927 |
|
Montgomery |
6.7 |
82.4 |
2.1 |
84.5 |
10.3 |
34.1 |
3.0 |
91,546 |
|
Source: 2019
American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau |
||||||||
By race, broadband subscription was highest among
whites (90.1 percent) and lowest for Blacks (83.9 percent), and
native Americans (77.9 percent). By
education level, broadband subscription was highest in households with a
bachelor’s degree (95.5 percent) and lowest for those without a high school
diploma (72.6 percent)
Will the broadband benefit program help low-income families
in counties such as Sullivan and Philadelphia alike? Absolutely!
But, when the money runs out and the program expires, what then? How can
we sustain making broadband accessible and affordable for all?
Sources:
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