Regulators should ‘repivot’ discussion on broadband availability ...
Regulators should “repivot” discussion on broadband availability to adoption from access, said Alec Ross, executive vice president for external affairs of One Economy, speaking at an Alliance for Public Technology event in the Capitol. One Economy is a nonprofit…
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supported by technology companies, public advocacy groups and political leaders. The U.S. has done a “good job” connecting homes with broadband but has work to do getting people to buy it, Ross said. Last year was an “incredibly bad year” for adoption in households with incomes under $25,000, he said, citing Pew Research data showing low-income homes with broadband down to 25 percent from 28. That’s the first time the figure has declined, he said. About 40 percent of people who don’t get broadband say they're “not interested” or “think it’s a waste of time,” he said. Culture and comfort level are the big reasons people stay away, he said. For example, some don’t want broadband for fear of identity theft and desire for privacy, he said. The U.S. risks becoming a country of broadband haves and have-nots, agreed Alliance President Kenneth Peres. It needs a national broadband policy to expand availability, he said. Rep. Eldophus Towns, D-N.Y., was to speak but didn’t. Towns believes broadband is “essential,” and supports government incentives for investment in high-speed networks, said Julie Rones, his deputy chief of staff.