Broadband Products Supporting Low-Income Households

There is a lot of momentum in Washington (DC) and in state governments right now to improve the adoption of broadband by addressing the issue of affordability for low-income communities. To decide what policies will do the most good for low-income households seeking broadband connectivity, it’s important to first understand the existing marketplace. The debate about broadband pricing has largely ignored the specific low-income products that the industry has made available in the marketplace. In short, there are multiple wired broadband options available to low-income households for $20 or less, with speeds up to 200 Mbps. Given these marketplace options, there is no credible rationale for the need for price regulation to achieve the same result. There are three legs to the digital divide stool:  availability, affordability and adoption.  All three must be addressed if we are going to reach the goal of ensuring all Americans are supported by broadband connectivity.