FCC Proposes Broadband Internet Subsidy for Low Income Households

FCC Proposes Broadband Internet Subsidy for Low Income Households

Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler on Thursday introduced a proposal to subsidize Internet access for low-income Americans, marking the agency’s strongest and most recent recognition that broadband services are an essential public utility. The plan seeks to expand the FCC’s $1.7 billion Lifeline program, which has helped more than 12 million low-income households pay…

Obama Unveils Plan for Dramatically Faster Internet Speeds, Increased Competition
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Obama Unveils Plan for Dramatically Faster Internet Speeds, Increased Competition

The United States lags behind much of the rest of the highly developed world in terms of Internet speeds. Estimates vary but a study from Akamai — one of the world’s largest cloud content delivery companies — found that the US ranked only #12 in average Internet speeds and #17 in peak Internet speeds. Even…

Editorial: The Time for Net Neutrality is Now
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Editorial: The Time for Net Neutrality is Now

We have long had a debate in the United States about the proper balance of government regulation. Some of these debates are legitimate concerns about government overreach; others have been perpetuated in the private sector to advance narrow economic interests, often at the expense of the general public. Right now, we are having a debate…

President Obama Lends Support to Net Neutrality in Big Way
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President Obama Lends Support to Net Neutrality in Big Way

Responding to the call of millions of Americans and years of grassroots campaigning, President Obama on Monday took what net neutrality proponents called a “major step” towards the protection of the Internet by issuing a statement calling for the safeguarding of “one of the most significant democratizing influences the world has ever known.” Obama’s new…