Many Americans Can't Afford Broadband, FCC Doesn't Care

[isabel]

www.vice.com/en_us/article/k7e3vw/42-million-americans-cant-afford-broadband-but-the-fcc-doesnt-care?fbclid=IwAR3i0nlZuxnihvHlhgqQ8j6Ui8MMmj7IjSq-qpJF53rrVrkzhywLncIeWAo

A couple of excerpts...

“Chairman Pai equates closing the digital divide with addressing infrastructure availability in rural areas,” Horrigan said. “But the fact is lack of infrastructure is not a big issue behind not having a broadband subscription at home. Affordability and cost of an access device matter more—and far more non-rural Americans do not have broadband subscriptions at home than ones living in rural areas.”

“There are racist and classist implications to arguing that those who don't have broadband just ‘don't get it,’” Floberg said. “Low-income families and people of color are disproportionately less likely to have home broadband, and this country has a long history of blaming systemic racial and economic inequities on the marginalized folks who suffer under them.”

[SwimDeep]

Ooh... this is a hot button topic for me. Off to read...

[msmerymac]

My governor has made an issue of expanding broadband to our rural areas, but my state's largest city also has the highest percentage of people living in poverty of any major US city. I wonder if this will be something he tries to address (through the GOP legislature so good freaking luck).

[secretlyevil]

Expanding broadband to the rural parts of the state are a piece of a hugely controversial infrastructure project our governor bullied through legislation to get passed. Holy hell is it a hot mess and most believe the project won’t be built. Maybe one of the three pieces but not all three.