Debra Berlyn

It is downright shocking that millions of low-income older adults, members of our one of our most vulnerable communities, will lose their broadband connection due to the uncertainty of funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program. For older adults in financial need, the extension of funding for the ACP is critical. While the number of those over the age of 65 with broadband in the home has grown, it is still one of the biggest gaps of the digital divide. At the start of the ACP, only 64% of those 65 and older had a broadband connection in the home 

While COVID-19 has highlighted the deficiencies in broadband availability in the homes of our school-age kids around the country, the absence of a broadband connection for our older adults is equally concerning. Lack of internet access sets the stage for growing isolation and harm to our seniors across the country. Although broadband adoption has increased among those 65 and older in recent years, there is still a significant gap. A 2017 Pew Research revealed that over half of those 65+ have a broadband connection at home, and about 67 percent use the internet.

The Federal Communications Commission Consumer Advisory Committee commends the Federal Communication Commission for its formal action on TV caption quality.

On February 20, 2014, the FCC unanimously approved new, more comprehensive rules for television closed captioning to ensure that viewers who are deaf and hard of hearing have full access to video programming. Effective January 15, 2015, all television programming with captions will be held to the Commission’s quality standards for accuracy, synchronicity (timing), program completeness, and placement of closed captions. The Commission’s Report & Order:

• distinguishes between pre-recorded, live, and near-live programming and explains how the new standards apply to each type of programming.
• includes best practices for video programmers and captioning vendors, which promise to improve captioning quality for viewers.
• adopts measures to ensure that people who are deaf and hard of hearing will have greater access to news programming in their local communities.
• addresses several other issues related to closed captioning quality, including multicast channels, technical equipment monitoring, and recordkeeping.

[Berlyn is Chairperson FCC Consumer Advisory Committee]