Joint Center Meets With FCC Commissioner Starks to Discuss a Plan for Sharing Critical Information on the Emergency Broadband Benefit

On January 8, Joint Center Technology Policy Director Dr. Dominique Harrison participated in a meeting with FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks to discuss a plan for sharing information on the Emergency Broadband Benefit to communities.

Congress established the Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund to create an emergency broadband benefit, a monthly discount on broadband internet access service for low-income people. The Federal Communications Commission will oversee the temporary fund that allows enlisted households to receive $50/month to put toward the monthly price of internet service. Commissioners Stark’s sought comments from public interest groups on the challenges and opportunities of the program.

“For the @FCC Emergency Broadband Benefit to succeed, we need an all-hands effort to get the word out to every eligible American. Today I talked with public interest groups about the plan to reach out to communities across the country,” read a tweet from Commissioner Starks, who also thanked the groups in a follow-up tweet. Other participating public interest groups included Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, Free Press, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Libraries Without Borders, Media Justice, National Consumer Law Center, National Digital Inclusion Alliance, Next Century Cities, Open Tech Institute, and Public Knowledge.

Click here to learn more about the Emergency Broadband Benefit.

For the @FCC Emergency Broadband Benefit to succeed, we need an all-hands effort to get the word out to every eligible American. Today I talked with public interest groups about the plan to reach out to communities across the country.

— Geoffrey Starks (@GeoffreyStarks) January 8, 2021

Thank you @freepress, @benton_inst, @publicknowledge, @NextCentCit, @OTI, @netinclusion, @Cleanza, @NCLC4consumers, @mediajustice, @civilrightsorg, @JointCenter and @LWB_USA for sharing your ideas and expertise with me. Let’s get to work!

— Geoffrey Starks (@GeoffreyStarks) January 8, 2021