In a major step toward closing the digital divide, the FCC voted yesterday to expand and modernize the Lifeline program to include subsidies for broadband access. Originally established to guarantee basic access to phone lines and emergency services, the Lifeline program will now provide a $9.25 home broadband subsidy that can be used on either wireless or fixed-wire internet access.
We live in an era where the internet and other communications technologies are essential for everything from education to healthcare to employment, yet the high cost of broadband has actually caused a decline in access since 2013. The FCC’s decision will allow millions of low-income Americans to access the internet from their homes, and more fully participate in 21st century culture and economy.
FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, pictured below, has been a stalwart champion of Lifeline expansion since her appointment in 2009. MDF is thrilled with the FCC’s vote, and sees Lifeline expansion as one piece of a larger fight to ensure everyone can have affordable access to an open, secure, and universal internet.