The FCC has had the ongoing responsibility to conduct programs aiding the poor with telecom connectivity for decades, and the program(s) have been undergoing various modification to adapt to the new mobile age. Now the FCC has announced further support to bridge the digital divide for internet service, under the name of the “Lifeline” program. Details are still TBD for some aspects.
[gview file=”https://publicservicesalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/F.C.C.-Chief-Seeks-Broadband-Plan-to-Aid-the-Poor-NYTimes.com_.pdf”]According to Pew data from 2013, the most recent year for which numbers are available, 54 percent of those making less than $30,000 a year have broadband, compared with 88 percent of those making more than $75,000. The same survey found that 53 percent of Hispanics and 64 percent of blacks in the United States have high-speed Internet at home, compared with 74 percent of whites.