Brookings Issue Brief on Universal Service Reform

The broadband divide is still an issue for millions of Americans who seek connectivity. One out of three Americans do not access the web due to poor infrastructure, high prices, or a lack of digital skills. One in twenty Americans lives in a region without broadband infrastructure.

These findings, part of an issue brief by the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings, illustrate the impact of the digital divide on communities already strained by poverty, poor resources, or living in a rural area.

According to the brief, Issues in Technology Innovation:

"Though America is responsible for the invention and development of Internet technology, the United States has fallen behind competing nations on a variety of important indicators, including broadband adoption rate and price."

Jeffrey Rosen, author of the brief, uses the example of the digital divide to illustrate the challenges faced by the FCC when considering Universal Service Fund reform.

The fund, meant to extend telecommunications services to all U.S. residents, is an important stepping stone to universal broadband. To be successful it must provide subsidies to telecommunications companies to invest in broadband expansion in high-cost areas, help low-income users for whom cost and lack of digital skills present a barrier, and ensure that the program is able to fund itself through a fee that is fair to all telecommunications users.

The FCC is currently soliciting public comments in response to its proposal to reform the Universal Service program. Initial comments are due April 18 and reply comments are due May 23.

CWA has long urged the FCC to transform the universal service system — a program developed for universal voice telephony — to promote universal, affordable broadband.

Issues in Technology Innovation: Universal Service Fund Reform: Expanding Boradband Internet Access in the United States (Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings)

Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service (FCC)

CWA Supports Universal Service Fund Reform (Speed Matters)