US Broadband Networks Preform and Provide a lifeline during the Covid 19 crisis.
Five months after the first recorded case of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) there is one clear health directive proven to slow the spread of the virus so that fewer people become infected and need emergency health care -- Stay home.
As the world embraces the idea of “flattening the curve,” many are faced with the disruptive reality of having to re engineer their daily lives to accommodate our new “stay home” reality. Parents are now not only the primary caretakers for their children, but have been forced to become educators, soccer coaches, and healthcare providers all while navigating the steep tech learning curve required to implement a successful work from home strategy.
For the millions of Americans who have home broadband access, the internet has become an even more critical lifeline in this time of crisis as well as becoming the connective tissue sustaining relationships, employment, commerce, and a means for distraction through online entertainment.
Internet traffic is surging
When President Trump declared Covid 19 a national emergency, internet traffic jumped 20 percent. Cloudflare, a provider of internet optimization to 10% of the world's websites, stated that “the demand for video conferencing, streaming services like Netflix, news, and online shopping coming from residential broadband networks is surging.” Although internet traffic has moved from corporate and university networks to residential broadband, Cloudfare CEO confirms that the Coronavirus emergency has only had “a non-negligible impact on Internet services and our lives. Although it is difficult to quantify exactly the increase, we observe numbers from 10% to 40% depending on the region and the state of government action in those regions.”
Our nation’s largest internet services providers have been some of the first to respond to the rapidly shifting realities of consumers' lives. ISP’s in the United States continue to meet the moment by ensuring free or low cost options for frontline communities and despite revenue pressures resulting from reduced business from other verticals, have recommitted to increased levels of capital expenditures to boost network resiliency. “We’re looking towards the future and increasing our investments so that we’re poised to offer even more robust networks, to meet future demands, in the years to come,” Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg said.
Plainly stated, America’s broadband infrastructure is built to adapt to consumer’s usage needs and continues to lead the world in investment and reliability. Private investment and innovation in the US has contributed to a robust network infrastructure while Europe with its heavy regulations and unbundling standards have left the continent at a disadvantage during this critical time.
What policy makers and regulators are doing
Recognizing the important role that telehealth plays in helping to reduce potential exposure to the virus, in their third stimulus package Congress included $200 million for the FCC to fund at home telehealth programs for hospital and healthcare providers. It also allocated $100 million for a grant program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund construction and upgrades to rural broadband networks.
The FCC also launched their “Keep Americans Connected” pledge in partnership with over 650 companies who voluntarily committed to not terminating the connection services for Americans who are unable to pay their subscription fees during the health crisis. The agency also temporarily waived rules to ensure that no current Lifeline subscribers are forced off the program and extended application deadlines for the E-rate program, which discounts broadband and internet access for schools and libraries.
Broadband infrastructure should be a national priority for policymakers
For Latino communities who can most benefit from telehealth solutions, including seniors, veterans, and those with disabilities or pre existing conditions, having a reliable connection to low cost internet is directly correlated to our ability to self isolate during a global pandemic. In their most recent findings researchers Lesley Chiou and Catherine Tucker credit the unequal diffusion of high-speed Internet in homes across regions as one of the key indicators of whether individuals are able to comply with state-level directives to avoid leaving your home. As is the case with healthcare, education and housing, they conclude that “the digital divide—or the fact that income and home Internet access are correlated—appears to explain much of the inequality we observe in people’s ability to self-isolate.”
Covid-19 has surfaced the critical impact of the digital divide experienced by more than 19 million Americans that still face barriers to broadband connection. As the country continues to grapple with the changing reality of work, school, and how to best mitigate the economic displacement of many black and brown communities we urge policy makers to come together to prioritize stimulus resources that extend broadband infrastructure to historically underserved communities and keep American’s safe online by:
Providing the FCC with funding to address distance learning and internet access for low-income Americans.
Expanding the Lifeline — which provides subsidized phone and internet services for low-income Americans — so that the program can support one fixed and one mobile broadband connection per household as well as unlimited phone and texting plans during the pandemic.
Adapting the E-rate program by waiving certain rules to allow schools to apply for funding to purchase wired or wireless equipment for students and teachers who might not have at-home internet access.
Establishing a federal framework to protect consumer privacy online by passing a comprehensive national privacy law that addresses bias and discriminatory data practices and establishes civil rights protections with respect to consumer data online and offline.
Covid-19 is an opportunity for policy makers to work collaboratively to close the digital divide so that every American can do their part to safeguard the health of their communities and benefit from our new digital reality. Internet service providers have demonstrated that their investments in networks have paid off when we most need the networks to perform. Now, we need Congress and the FCC to meet the moment and expand broadband access to every home.