Technology Policy Institute
Reform the ACP
On May 2, the Senate will hold a hearing on “The Future of Broadband Affordability.” The Affordability Connectivity Program (ACP) that provides subsidies for more than 20 million low-income households will expire in May. Without the extension, these families will see the cost of the internet service increase by up to $30 per month and prompt some families to drop internet service altogether.
TPI Scholars Argue Classifying Broadband Providers Under Title II is Unnecessary and Potentially Harmful
In these comments we explain why Title II classification is unnecessary and potentially harmful. Specifically, we make the following points:
Reclassifying Broadband Under Title II Will Not Increase Competition
On September 26 at the National Press Club, Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel laid out her arguments for reclassification. Among them was a claim that the lack of broadband competition makes Title II necessary. One can make coherent and serious arguments supporting Title II and net neutrality. But Title II because of the state of competition? No. The Chairwoman is right that areas actually served by only one provider and likely to continue to be served by only one provider really do require more oversight than areas with more competition.
TPI Introduces ChatBEAD: An AI Chatbot for Understanding State and NTIA BEAD Plans (Technology Policy Institute)
Submitted by dclay@benton.org on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 09:38How to Fix the Universal Service Fund
The Universal Service Fund (USF) is inefficient, ineffective, and funded by a regressive tax mechanism. Several reforms could improve the program:
Do Broadband Subsidies for Schools Improve Students’ Performance? Evidence from Florida.
Studies exploring the relationship between technology in the classroom and students’ outcomes have yielded mixed results. We contribute to the debate by examining the effects of broadband subsidies to schools on school performance measures in Florida. Specifically, using a nearly universal panel of Florida schools in the period 2016-2019, we assess the effect of federal broadband subsidies to schools via the E-Rate program on school grades.
How to Leverage Alternative Data Sources to Refine Broadband Availability Maps
A recent story in the Texas Tribune discussed how Texas’s broadband map shows service in some areas that residents say doesn’t exist.