Calif. Congressmen Hold FCC’s Feet To Digital-Divide Fire

In a bill so new it doesn’t even have a House Resolution number yet, California Reps. Doris Matsui, Henry Waxman and Anna Eshoo introduced the Broadband Adoption Act of 2013, a measure they say “would help bridge the digital divide by making in-home broadband services more affordable across the country.” Matsui comments, “The Internet is increasingly the economic engine for growth and innovation. It is imperative that the (FCC’s) Lifeline program be reformed and modernized to account for broadband services.” Adds Stephanie Chen, energy and telecom policy director at the Berkeley, Calif.-based Greenlining Institute, “Today, even entry-level jobs in fast food and other sectors often require online applications.” Regardless of race, 60 percent of Californians with households making less than $40,000 per year don’t have broadband at home. “Today, broadband is as essential as landlines were in 1960,” Chen points out. “Without it, you’re out of luck. Our whole economy and, indeed, our whole society, will be stronger when everyone has affordable access to this vital tool.”