YOUR THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS WANTED > Closing The Digital Divide

Here is an opportunity for input into the Chain of Command - Next Century Cities is collecting feedback from local officials 

The Next Century Cities Weekly Bulletin

February 9, 2021

Hello Tim, As the new Administration settles into the White House and the 117th Congress identifies its priorities, Next Century Cities remains focused on advocating for our members, all working to bring fast, affordable, and reliable broadband to their communities. Our team continues to partner with the Administration, members of Congress, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to provide local leaders with timely updates and ensure that community-level voices are heard in Washington, D.C.

6 Asks for the 46th Prersident

Next Century Cities is collecting feedback from local officials in “6 Asks for the 46th President.” The list will include recommended priorities for the Biden-Harris Administration, the 117th Congress, and the FCC. Based on member feedback in 2020, we shared three goals that would help to ensure that every community has fast, affordable, and reliable. However, the new Administration needs to hear from you – your community's story in your own words.  Submit feedback for the Executive Branch, Congress, or the FCC here. Quotes will be elevated in a letter to the President and Congress or documented in FCC filings noting only the municipality and state. Names and emails of local officials will not be shared. You can view our document here. We started with three goals: 1) Increase the substantive presence of local perspectives and stories in federal policymaking. Without insights from local officials and community leaders, federal broadband deployment strategies will continue to fall short of goals to close the digital divide. The President, FCC, NTIA, and other agencies must develop methods to elevate and incorporate local perspectives into federal broadband policymaking.  2) Address inaccuracies in broadband availability mapping, and begin collecting pricing data. Availability data is not only central for ensuring that limited funding reaches populations in need, but also helps to illustrate the unique broadband access and adoption challenges that different parts of the country experience. Collaborating with local governments is essential for improving federal data collection processes.  3) Center digital equity and inclusion in broadband access and adoption strategies. The digital divide has a far-reaching impact on already underrepresented communities as large segments of Indigenous, Black, Brown, rural, and low-income residents are simply unable to get online. COVID-19 exacerbated the effects of existing digital inequities. We urge the federal government to adopt a whole-of-community approach that promotes broadband access, broadband adoption, and digital literacy for all residents.  View the full document here. Now we want to hear from you. Submit your ideas, goals, or proposals that you believe the 46th President and his Administration should support. What does your community need to bring fast, affordable, and reliable broadband to all people? Submit recommendations here. Submit Comments Here.

NCC & Member Municipalities in the News In Baltimore, MD, local officials are celebrating the launch of a wireless broadband network positioned on a public library. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Baltimore was battling a growing digital divide which the pandemic has only widened. A public-private partnership has created a new opportunity for fifty households near Pratt Library to connect for the first time and take an important step toward expanding WiFi access. Mayor Quinton Lucas of Kansas City, MO, announced a COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Taskforce that will focus on its digital divide. As vaccines are distributed across the country, many local governments are turning to online portals to register high-risk populations. Residents, especially seniors, who do not have broadband internet access are unable to register for the vaccine. Kansas City recognizes the inequitable administration and is working to address this disparity.  Several NCC members submitted comments in the FCC’s Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) proceeding. The FCC requested public input on the EBB program which will provide low-income households with up to a $50/month subsidy to obtain the requisite broadband Internet access to work, learn, obtain healthcare, and connect with loved ones from the safety of home during the Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic. Residents on Tribal lands will qualify for up to $75/month. Congratulations to Austin, Texas; Baltimore, Maryland; Longmont, Colorado; Madison, Wisconsin; Oakland, California; San Francisco, California; and Seattle, Washington for speaking up on behalf of low-income residents in a proceeding with a short comment period. Some local governments also filed jointly. Read NCC’s comments here. NCC will elevate comments from local officials in an FCC Roundtable Discussion on February 12th at 10am EST. Reply comments are due on February 16, 2021. Review the FCC’s instructions on filing comments here.  NCC submitted CPUC comments on fiber deployment and California’s digital divide funds. With the help of California communities, on February 1st, Next Century Cities submitted comments regarding fiber deployment following natural disasters and the appropriation of California’s one million dollar Digital Divide Account. The comments underscored the importance of centering network resiliency in future infrastructure plans and highlighted the true size of the digital divide across Californian communities. Read the comments here. NCC joined Broadband Connects America allies in a FCC letter expressing serious concern with inaccurate conclusions contained in the 2021 Broadband Deployment Report. The February 1st letter reiterates that broadband is not being deployed in a reasonable and timely fashion, the agency must correct its mapping protocols, and cites the FCC’s own conclusion that households require speeds faster than 25/3 Mbps if more than one member of the household is to use a high-demand application. Broadband benchmark speeds have not been updated since 2015.

Broadband Headlines The Texas Governor’s Broadband Development Council released its 2020 report. As of July 2020, an estimated 926,859 Texans do not have access to broadband at home. GDBC’s report identifies broadband connectivity as a critical issue for the rural and unserved areas of Texas and explains the need for technology-neutral solutions to expand broadband connectivity. As COVID-19 continues to spread across the country, local and state agencies face continued obstacles with remote work. Generally, local and state governments have discovered that remote work for employees has not decreased productivity as originally predicted. Some government agencies are considering integrating remote work permanently. However, disconnected residents and certain employees still rely on in-person services and local governments will need to strike a balance for their community.  The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society published their recommendations to connect every resident of Illinois to fast, affordable, and reliable broadband. In a report addressed to the Illinois Broadband Advisory Council, it outlined the costs for connecting the state alongside possible alternatives to connect every home. The report places a special emphasis on connecting low-income communities. Advocates in Texas are pressuring Governor Abbott to establish a broadband office to address the digital divide for students. Municipal governments across the state have been deploying stopgap solutions for almost a year, including WiFi enabled school busses and temporary wireless networks around school buildings, but it is not enough. Educators and advocates are pressuring the state to support and fund permanent solutions that will address the digital divide long after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.  The National Urban League has unveiled a new program aimed to close the digital divide. The plan, known as the “The Lewis Latimer Plan for Digital Equity & Inclusion,” is named for an African American inventor who was a key player in the invention of telephones and electric lights. The plan hopes to achieve digital equity across the U.S. by deploying networks everywhere, getting everyone connected, improving the way communities deliver essential services, and growing opportunities to participate in the digital economy.  Aiken Electric Cooperative is partnering with Carolina Connect to expand fiber access in rural parts of Aiken County, South Carolina. The partnership will ensure that thousands of residents who currently do not have even basic Internet service obtain the service they need to function safely during the pandemic.  “After years of slow internet and broken promises, West Virginia finally has a state office dedicated to broadband.” This is exciting news for a state that has relied on volunteers to address the lack of reliable, high-speed internet access in rural areas. Previous efforts to improve access in West Virginia have been aimed at correcting inaccurate broadband speeds and availability data. On February 11th at 2:00 pm EST, Commissioner Geoffrey Starks will virtually host a Future of Work panel to discuss FCC policies necessary to bridge the digital divide. Leaders from the African American Mayors Association, the Black Economic Alliance, the Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice, and U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. will discuss COVID-19's impact on Black-owned businesses and Black workers. Access the announcement and livestream link here.

A Tribute to Black History Month

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