Broadband Access

"Rather than pat itself on the back again by using a flawed methodology to wrongly conclude broadband is being deployed timely, the FCC should conduct an open and honest assessment on who has access to broadband," said Michael Copps, special advisor to Common Cause and former FCC chairman.

Yesterday, Common Cause and Public Knowledge filed comments in the FCC’s broadband deployment proceeding. The agency is required to release an annual report on whether advanced telecommunications services is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion. As part of its report, the FCC seeks comments from the public on how it should assess the state of broadband deployment and availability. Common Cause critiqued the agency’s flawed methodology which overstates who has access to broadband and its current policies for widening the digital divide. Common Cause also urged the Commission to take a bold, forward-looking approach and increase the national broadband standard.

We urge you to reject the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) new proposals that will debilitate the Lifeline program

So-called "fake" news isn't the only issue people should be concerned about with respect to the media. Even real news has an "infotainment" quality that lends itself to a herd mentality and the corporate mergers that consolidate decision-making in distant corporate HQ that care more about profit and dividends than covering city hall or the school board.

Americans rely on a free, diverse, and independent media for the information they need to make informed decisions at election time. But every week brings more bad news for those of us who worry that our communications ecosystem is being pushed to the point of collapse. It’s not that we ever had a perfect communications world—far from it—but what we had at least provided a foundation upon which the diverse voices of democracy could contend and build.