When it comes to the subject of making free or cheap internet access part of the free government cell phone program, the Federal Communications Commission has been delicately tiptoeing around the issue. The commissioners have voted in favor of it, and a majority of them have spoken out in favor of the concept, but precious little progress has been made.
Now almost 200 school district superintendents and the leaders of nearly 150 religious, civil rights, technology, and other groups are demanding that the FCC stop talking and take some concrete actions to make it happen.
The two groups wrote separate (but clearly coordinated, we believe) letters strongly urging that the Lifeline Assistance program be amended create subsidies to help low-income Americans pay for high-speed broadband internet access in addition to the free government cell phone service.
The letter from the school district superintendents quickly got to the heart of the matter:
“Much of the advantage of education technology lies in student access to information and education tools outside of the classroom,” the letter said. “Sadly, many students do not have broadband access at home and cannot complete assignments and supplement their learning outside school. If the nation wants to produce globally competitive graduates with twenty-first-century skills and competencies, this ‘homework gap’ must be addressed.”
The widely-known, frequently-criticized Lifeline Assistance program was created in 1985 to help low-income Americans access basic communications. It was initially conceived as a way to help poor Americans afford home phone installation and service, but was wisely amended in 1996 to include cell phone service. An entire industry — composed of dozens of cell phone providers and millions of customers — has sprung up as a result of that amendment.
Back in June of this year, the FCC commissioners voted 3-2 in favor of including internet access and invited public comments on the proposal to fund internet access with the same pot of money that current pays for the free government cell phone program.
Speaking in Philadelphia in June at the annual conference of the International Society for Technology in Education,
FCC Commissioner and Lifeline expansion proponent Jessica Rosenworcel spoke before the International Society for Technology in Education conference. In that speech she accurately called the ‘homework gap’ as “the cruelest part of our new digital divide.” The Digital Divide, of course, is the term created to describe the immense difference in internet access between America’s richest and poorest citizens.
The educators’ letter writing effort, a clear attempt to put pressure on the FCC to get off its collective backside and approve this huge change, was put together by two very prominent organizations — the Alliance for Excellent Education and the Leading Education by Advancing Digital (LEAD) Commission. Both groups stress the vital nature of digital-learning in today’s world.
The other letter writing effort was spearheaded by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Common Sense Kids Action, and the National Association of Social Workers. It’s letter had a similar tone and similar goal.
“The Internet can play a crucial role in moving people out of poverty. And yet, cost remains a critical barrier to internet access for millions of Americans,” the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights said in a press release that was issued along with its letter. “By modernizing the Lifeline program, the FCC can bridge this digital divide, and help millions of low-income Americans afford the broadband service they need to succeed in our digital age.”
We couldn’t agree more.
It’s time to put an end to the seemingly endless meetings and conclaves and speechifying, FCC. The free government cell phone program was exactly what America’s poor needed ten years ago, even five years ago. But the world has changed and it’s time to bring Lifeline Assistance into the present by adding subsidized internet access to its offerings.
Source: EdWeek
Sandra says
They want to give free Internet to low income people who are in assistance programs, but what about some people like single mothers with 2 or more kids who work alot but just miss getting assistance such as food card, etc because they make $20 too much per month. They should be able to get free internet as well
CheapInternet.com Administrator says
No doubt about it, Sandra, it really sucks when your income is just barely too high to qualify. But not all the programs’ qualifications are based on income. To see those other programs, click on the “Low-Income Internet” link at the top of this page. Perhaps one of them will work for you.
And if you live in an area covered by Sprint’s national network, there’s another program that will work for you because it allows you to qualify with a higher income. This article gives you more detail:
https://www.cheapinternet.com/low-income-internet/pcs-for-people
Val. says
I am currently homless and other people are in my situation,
Lately but heard a lot of complaining about needing.to put an application for a job online what of you have no way of doing this. A smartphone would be a great idea. An employer could call or email a perspective employee. Since then phone is on them all the time. Thank you very much. I appreciate this opportunity to ne heard. P.S. using friends Phone.
CheapInternet.com Administrator says
You need to check out our sister website, FreeGovernmentCellPhones.net, which covers all the ways to get exactly what you need. More and more companies are offering smartphones. In fact, here are three articles that tell you all about it.
The first article tells you which companies offer smartphones:
http://www.freegovernmentcellphones.net/which-lifeline-cell-phone-companies-offer-smartphones
The second article tells you how the homeless can qualify for the program:
http://www.freegovernmentcellphones.net/qualify-in-group-home-shelter
And here’s another article about free government cell phones for the homeless:
http://www.freegovernmentcellphones.net/free-phones-for-the-homeless
Karen Sanchez says
,becousr I am poor and I live alone!
David D says
I am a s/w/m 59 y/o (in 4 more days)waiting for disability as I sit and beg for money. It would be different if I was one of those beggars that used the money to get cigs and/or get drunk and pass out under a bush, however, I use every penny (and appreciate it) to survive, I use the Internet to find small odd jobs that I can do and use Google Voice as my home phone #, but if I can not find a low income Internet alternative to watch refugees get what American citizens deserve! I’ll have no choice but to shut it down, it’s not easy for a physically disabled person to just run to the nearest WI=FI spot and get online!
Belinda says
I worked as a Fire Inspector for almost 5 years until one day I ended up in the hospital with Congestive Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathy and It changed my life forever. I can no longer work and have been forced to go on Disability. Before working, I was a stay at home Mom and never worked before in prior years. I went through a divorce and after getting my High School diploma, I went to college for 6 years. Yes, 6 years because I have a learning disability in which I never knew I had so it took me longer to get the education that I needed to obtain the job I wanted more than anything. My starting salary was 37k and I was so exited, now I can get off welfare and enjoy life, save money and even buy my very first home. As I sit here typing this letter thinking back to the future I thought I was going to have, to receiving a total amount of 771.00 dollars a month in Disability. I can’t afford a phone, cable and the internet and it is extremely difficult to stay in contact with just my doctors let alone family and other things one may need a phone for. Sorry for the whole story I just wrote but how do people make it through life without the simple needs being met? I just don’t understand, I feel though I am being punished for being on Disability. Thank you for listening, Belinda