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FCC Votes To Subsidize Broadband Connections For Low-Income Households
Mark Wilson writes: Today the FCC voted in favor of updating its Lifeline program to include broadband. This would mean that households surviving on low incomes would be able to receive help paying for a broadband connection. It might not be as important as electricity or water, but having a broadband connection is seen as being all but essential these days. From helping with education and job hunting, to allowing for home working, the ability to get online is seen as so vital by some that there have been calls for it to be classed as a utility. The Lifeline program has been running since the 80s, and originally provided financial help to those struggling to pay for a phone line. It was expanded in 2008 to include wireless providers, and it is hoped that this third expansion will help more people to get online.
What the hell is the bureaucracy doing making these kinds of decisions? Whether this is good policy or not is a separate question, but the FCC should not be taking on additional mandates like this without direction from Congress.
Internet access is nearly as important as electricity in our modern age.
Perhaps. But why not just give the poor a basic income supplement, and let them decide for themselves what to spend it on? Some of them may use it for Internet, but others may use it to buy food or medicine. Why should the government presume to know their priorities better than they do.
Golly, I wonder if any politicians supporting this program received campaign contributions from Comcast and TWC.
I'd place it as more important than phones. A phone can call a friend...
Or a phone can allow the school to call you when you child is taken ill. Or your child can call you when they are in trouble and need help. Or the hospital can call you to tell you your child is there. Or you can call the police when you need help. Or you can call home to get someone to come bail you out of jail. Or ...
None of which "being online" does very well at.
"Being online" is nice. Some people have restructured their lives to make it more important to them, but that's their choice, not a requirement.
... the internet shows you the world.
Yes, very nice when you don't have enough money to drive to the next city over, to see the world of places you can never afford to go. Will "the internet" show you directions to the library where you can use a public internet system?