OTI Urges Congress to Address Broadband Affordability Crisis

On Tuesday, OTI sent a letter urging Congress to address the high cost of internet service in any forthcoming COVID-19 relief legislation. For months, OTI has urged Congress to pass legislation that makes internet service more affordable and accessible, particularly during the pandemic. Earlier this year, the House of Representatives passed two bills that would accomplish this goal by creating an emergency broadband benefit for low-income households, students, and the new unemployed. The Senate has yet to take any action on this proposal.

OTI recently published a series of studies that concluded the United States is in the grips of an internet affordability crisis. The Cost of Connectivity 2020 studied 760 internet plans in 28 cities across Europe, Asia, and North America and found that U.S. consumers pay higher costs for slower speeds than consumers abroad. Additionally, The Cost of Connectivity in West Virginia and The Cost of Connectivity in the Navajo Nation found that internet service is particularly unaffordable in rural and Tribal communities.

Importantly, this research was conducted before the onset of the pandemic. The pandemic has exacerbated the affordability problems identified in OTI’s research as more people struggle to pay for basic necessities amid widespread job and income losses.

The following quote can be attributed to Joshua Stager, senior counsel for New America’s Open Technology Institute:

“It is imperative that Congress address the high cost of internet service in any forthcoming emergency relief legislation. Millions of people across the country—in rural, urban, and suburban areas—are suffering through this pandemic without internet access. Affordability is a major cause of the digital divide, and we need Congress to step up. Congress is considering many broadband-related proposals, but the emergency broadband benefit that the House passed earlier this year is the best positioned to provide immediate relief to people as they struggle to get through this pandemic.”