Groups ask FCC to guarantee broadband access for minorities
June 8, 2009
A coalition of organizations called the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council (MMTC) is asking the federal Communications Commission (FCC) to make broadband access and adoption for minority, low-income and rural and urban populations its top priority.
In its filing with the FCC on the national broadband plan, which is to be completed by next year, MMTC said underserved communities may have physical proximity to broadband high speed internet lines, but adoption rates are still low.
"These communities desperately need the benefits of broadband adoption to ensure they can fully participate in the benefits of an increasingly digital society," the group said. "Indeed, the adoption gap may be an even broader problem than availability."
MMTC recommended that the FCC monitor broadband adoption rates in these communities, including by measuring affordability and utilizationbased on "social metrics," related to income and minority group status.
"In formulating its broadband plan, the commission should recognize that broadband is now a baseline essential service," the group said.
The group recommended that the FCC guarantee access through a subsidized broadband connection program similar to the Lifeline/Linkup program for cell phone service available to low-income individuals and families.
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