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In a new op-ed for The Hill, IIA Co-Chairs Bruce Mehlman and Kim Keenan explain that the Universal Service Fund's current funding structure is unsustainable. To ensure no one is left in the digital dark, they recommend either moving to a system of direct appropriations or "matching costs of universal broadband more closely to those companies that most handsomely profit from it" (big internet companies). Give it a read and share!

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IIA Co-Chair Bruce Mehlman for The Hill: "Room exists for constructive compromise, especially if Congress follows the core principles that powered three decades of American global broadband policy leadership: technology neutrality (avoid picking winners and losers); private sector leadership (trust competitive markets to innovate faster and operate more efficiently than government entities); and bipartisanship (the Telecom Act of 1996 passed with 91 votes in the Senate and 414 in the House)." What are three connected areas that Bruce identifies as opportunities for lawmakers to reach across the aisle? Click to read the full piece!

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RICK BOUCHER: "Time is of the essence. From enactment of the [bipartisan infrastructure] bill to the funding allocation process to broadband buildout, delay now means it could be years before households in the digital dark are lit with broadband. "Time without broadband adds up to lost opportunities, from education to employment. EducationSuperHighway reports that nearly 10 million students still lack a reliable high-speed connection necessary to complete their coursework at home and are falling behind. According to the National Skills Coalition, roughly half of workers with limited or no digital skills are stuck in the bottom or lower-middle quintile of earnings."

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IIA Co-Chair Kim Keenan for The Hill: "A federally-funded, permanent broadband benefit is absolutely needed to help financially vulnerable Americans afford broadband service, but programs aimed at increasing internet adoption must also tackle the digital obstacles faced by many of these low-income families, such as lack of a home computer and insufficient internet know-how."

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The Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA) launched the “Connected Roundtable” this month with participants Kim Keenan (IIA), Rosa Mendoza (ALLvanza), Dr. Dominique Harrison (Joint Center), and Joi Chaney (NUL). All four organizations reached consensus on 3️⃣ cornerstones of a solution for broadband affordability: 1. There should be a permanent broadband subsidy to help low-income families afford broadband service, even after the Emergency Broadband Benefit runs out. 2. There should be a separate subsidy for broadband connectivity, so low-income consumers don’t have to choose between mobile phone service and in-home broadband service. (Today, Lifeline beneficiaries can only use the program subsidy for ONE of three types of service offerings: fixed or mobile broadband, fixed or mobile voice-only, OR bundles of fixed or mobile voice and broadband.) 3. The Lifeline subsidy amount, which hasn’t changed in a decade, should be significantly increased from $9.25 per month to an amount that enables everyone to afford the cost of a broadband subscription today.

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✍️ IIA Honorary Chair Rick Boucher for CIO: "Taxing telephone service to pay for broadband is like taxing train tickets to subsidize air travel... "Including financial contributions from Big Tech is an obvious and appealing answer to the broadband affordability question. Contributing to Lifeline would allow companies like Amazon, Google and Facebook to bolster their user bases, while avoiding the barriers to future private investment that would be the inevitable consequence of imposing price controls on internet access."

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"Requiring Big Tech to help close the digital divide is an obvious and attractive solution to the Universal Service Fund (USF) crisis," former Rep. Rick Boucher, an honorary chair of IIA, said in a statement. "It makes sense for the Amazons, Googles, Apples and Facebooks of the world – that depend upon and benefit from Americans being online – to back efforts to achieve universal broadband. It's in their interest, as their user bases would be bolstered."

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In a new article for Real Clear Policy, Congressman Rick Boucher, IIA Honorary Chair, says that making nationwide fiber deployment the goal for limited broadband infrastructure funding (taxpayer dollars) could result in Americans on the wrong side of the digital divide now being left in the digital dark when federal dollars dry up.

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Congressman Rick Boucher, IIA Honorary Chair, writing for The Spokesman-Review: "President Biden’s recently released infrastructure plan reflects the widespread agreement that the digital divide must be closed... "The first priority for the dollars Congress appropriates? Ensure that everyone in the nation has access to a connection offering at least the 25 Mbps download speed/3 Mbps upload speed (25/3) that the FCC defines as broadband today."

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Writing for Essence Magazine, IIA Co-Chair Kim Keenan shares how her mother getting a driver’s license when she was a preteen changed the trajectory of her life and equates this game changer to women being empowered with broadband today. She also calls for modernization of the Lifeline Program, rather than abandonment of individual subsidies that help low-income families afford broadband, as suggested by the American Jobs Plan. This is a fun read...check it out!

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Read IIA Honorary Chairman Congressman Rick Boucher's new article for TechCrunch! In the piece, Congressman Boucher responds to the Biden administration’s newly released infrastructure plan by pushing back on the concept of price controls for broadband services and the administration's suggested phaseout of subsidies that help offset the cost of internet connectivity for low-income subscribers.

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😮 "Today, AT&T announced it will invest $2️⃣ billion over the next 3 years to help address the Digital Divide."

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VIDEO of IIA Co-Chair Kim Keenan on President Biden's infrastructure plan and broadband: "We're very excited that President Biden recognizes that, now more than ever, broadband is integral to every American family. We are concerned, however, about how we get there..." ▶️ Press play for Kim's thoughts! IIA statement here: https://bit.ly/39J7xOt

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The Internet Innovation Alliance applauds President Joe Biden for recognizing the indispensable role that broadband now plays in nearly every area of life, but is concerned by key internet-related components of his infrastructure plan. LEARN WHY: https://bit.ly/3dkYlkg

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👉TOMORROW, March 10th at 11am ET, IIA Co-Chair Kim Keenan will chat with FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks on the Digital Divide, systemic inequality & solutions for reaching Universal Broadband. SIGN UP HERE: https://bit.ly/30iKLHY

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In a Bloomberg Law Insight, IIA Chairs Bruce Mehlman, former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Tech Policy, and former Congressman Rick Boucher say Congress should act immediately to help millions of Americans without affordable broadband, and the FCC should proceed with Lifeline modernization in 2021. Read the full article: https://bit.ly/3q72IDO

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CONGRATS, Chairwoman Rosenworcel!