Internet Innovation Alliance

The Internet Innovation Alliance was founded in 2004 and is a broad-based coalition supporting broadband availability and access for all Americans, including underserved and rural communities. It aims to ensure every American, regardless of race, income or geography, has access to this critical tool. The IIA seeks to promote public policies that leverage the power of entrepreneurs and the market to achieve universal broadband availability and adoption.

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Congress and the FCC can save the USF from sinking sand

Direct appropriations would be appropriate for this group of programs, since all sectors of our economy and society benefit from broadband.

In a new op-ed for The Hill, IIA Co-Chairs Bruce Mehlman and Kim Keenan explain that the Universal Service Fund's current funding structure is unsustainable. To ensure no one is left in the digital dark, they recommend either moving to a system of direct appropriations or "matching costs of universal broadband more closely to those companies that most handsomely profit from it" (big internet companies). Give it a read and share!

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Bipartisan wins are there for the taking

Three areas are especially ripe for deal-making in Congress: antitrust, broadband infrastructure and China

IIA Co-Chair Bruce Mehlman for The Hill: "Room exists for constructive compromise, especially if Congress follows the core principles that powered three decades of American global broadband policy leadership: technology neutrality (avoid picking winners and losers); private sector leadership (trust competitive markets to innovate faster and operate more efficiently than government entities); and bipartisanship (the Telecom Act of 1996 passed with 91 votes in the Senate and 414 in the House)." What are three connected areas that Bruce identifies as opportunities for lawmakers to reach across the aisle? Click to read the full piece!

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America Needs the House to Pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Now - Morning Consult

Congressman Rick Boucher, IIA Honorary Chair, urges the House to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill without delay to bring broadband to all Americans as quickly as possible.

RICK BOUCHER: "Time is of the essence. From enactment of the [bipartisan infrastructure] bill to the funding allocation process to broadband buildout, delay now means it could be years before households in the digital dark are lit with broadband. "Time without broadband adds up to lost opportunities, from education to employment. EducationSuperHighway reports that nearly 10 million students still lack a reliable high-speed connection necessary to complete their coursework at home and are falling behind. According to the National Skills Coalition, roughly half of workers with limited or no digital skills are stuck in the bottom or lower-middle quintile of earnings."

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Slow broadband adoption needs a real-time solution

The pandemic made it clear that everyone needs broadband.

IIA Co-Chair Kim Keenan for The Hill: "A federally-funded, permanent broadband benefit is absolutely needed to help financially vulnerable Americans afford broadband service, but programs aimed at increasing internet adoption must also tackle the digital obstacles faced by many of these low-income families, such as lack of a home computer and insufficient internet know-how."

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IIA Launches Connected Roundtable, Social Justice Leaders Reach Consensus on 3 Key Aspects of Broadband Affordability Solution

All agree that a permanent, broadband-specific subsidy is needed WASHINGTON, D.C., June 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- As policymakers confront the digital divide with a new sense of urgency—through historic infrastructure legislation and the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program—the Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA) this month launched the “Connected Roundtable” to explore ways to elevate and advance the goal of achieving universal broadband. Representatives of ALLvanza, the Jo

The Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA) launched the “Connected Roundtable” this month with participants Kim Keenan (IIA), Rosa Mendoza (ALLvanza), Dr. Dominique Harrison (Joint Center), and Joi Chaney (NUL). All four organizations reached consensus on 3️⃣ cornerstones of a solution for broadband affordability: 1. There should be a permanent broadband subsidy to help low-income families afford broadband service, even after the Emergency Broadband Benefit runs out. 2. There should be a separate subsidy for broadband connectivity, so low-income consumers don’t have to choose between mobile phone service and in-home broadband service. (Today, Lifeline beneficiaries can only use the program subsidy for ONE of three types of service offerings: fixed or mobile broadband, fixed or mobile voice-only, OR bundles of fixed or mobile voice and broadband.) 3. The Lifeline subsidy amount, which hasn’t changed in a decade, should be significantly increased from $9.25 per month to an amount that enables everyone to afford the cost of a broadband subscription today.

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Big Tech could be the answer to broadband affordability

The struggle of disconnected Americans during the pandemic underscored the need, once and for all, to close the digital divide. Tech companies should help fund the solution.

✍️ IIA Honorary Chair Rick Boucher for CIO: "Taxing telephone service to pay for broadband is like taxing train tickets to subsidize air travel... "Including financial contributions from Big Tech is an obvious and appealing answer to the broadband affordability question. Contributing to Lifeline would allow companies like Amazon, Google and Facebook to bolster their user bases, while avoiding the barriers to future private investment that would be the inevitable consequence of imposing price controls on internet access."

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Big Tech should pay to close the digital divide, says FCC commissioner

Brendan Carr wants companies like Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google to contribute to a federal subsidy program to help get more Americans online.

"Requiring Big Tech to help close the digital divide is an obvious and attractive solution to the Universal Service Fund (USF) crisis," former Rep. Rick Boucher, an honorary chair of IIA, said in a statement. "It makes sense for the Amazons, Googles, Apples and Facebooks of the world – that depend upon and benefit from Americans being online – to back efforts to achieve universal broadband. It's in their interest, as their user bases would be bolstered."

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US Broadband Networks Don’t Need to Be Rescued by Taxpayers

Our roads, bridges, and water systems may be “crumbling,” but broadband isn’t broken. President Biden’s American Jobs Plan identifies the nation&r

In a new article for Real Clear Policy, Congressman Rick Boucher, IIA Honorary Chair, says that making nationwide fiber deployment the goal for limited broadband infrastructure funding (taxpayer dollars) could result in Americans on the wrong side of the digital divide now being left in the digital dark when federal dollars dry up.

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Rick Boucher: Speed bumps on the road to universal broadband

Life was put on hold for more than 20 million disconnected Americans during the pandemic. A third (35%) of rural households are not served by high-speed broadband and, on tribal lands, the number increases to 40%.

Congressman Rick Boucher, IIA Honorary Chair, writing for The Spokesman-Review: "President Biden’s recently released infrastructure plan reflects the widespread agreement that the digital divide must be closed... "The first priority for the dollars Congress appropriates? Ensure that everyone in the nation has access to a connection offering at least the 25 Mbps download speed/3 Mbps upload speed (25/3) that the FCC defines as broadband today."

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President Biden: Make Sure Women Have the Internet

From education, to employment, to healthcare, to everyday tasks, women need broadband technology.

Writing for Essence Magazine, IIA Co-Chair Kim Keenan shares how her mother getting a driver’s license when she was a preteen changed the trajectory of her life and equates this game changer to women being empowered with broadband today. She also calls for modernization of the Lifeline Program, rather than abandonment of individual subsidies that help low-income families afford broadband, as suggested by the American Jobs Plan. This is a fun read...check it out!

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Reform the US low-income broadband program by rebuilding Lifeline – TechCrunch

The U.S. Lifeline program, a monthly subsidy designed to help low-income families afford telephone services, needs to be polished to ensure all Americans have access to broadband internet.

Read IIA Honorary Chairman Congressman Rick Boucher's new article for TechCrunch! In the piece, Congressman Boucher responds to the Biden administration’s newly released infrastructure plan by pushing back on the concept of price controls for broadband services and the administration's suggested phaseout of subsidies that help offset the cost of internet connectivity for low-income subscribers.

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AT&T Makes $2 Billion Commitment to Bridge the Digital Divide

AT&T makes a three-year commitment to bring connectivity to more Americans through low-cost broadband offers, participating in the Emergency Broadband Benefit and community investment.

😮 "Today, AT&T announced it will invest $2️⃣ billion over the next 3 years to help address the Digital Divide."

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VIDEO of IIA Co-Chair Kim Keenan on President Biden's infrastructure plan and broadband: "We're very excited that President Biden recognizes that, now more than ever, broadband is integral to every American family. We are concerned, however, about how we get there..." ▶️ Press play for Kim's thoughts! IIA statement here: https://bit.ly/39J7xOt

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The Internet Innovation Alliance applauds President Joe Biden for recognizing the indispensable role that broadband now plays in nearly every area of life, but is concerned by key internet-related components of his infrastructure plan. LEARN WHY: https://bit.ly/3dkYlkg

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RSVP for tomorrow's webinar

👉TOMORROW, March 10th at 11am ET, IIA Co-Chair Kim Keenan will chat with FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks on the Digital Divide, systemic inequality & solutions for reaching Universal Broadband. SIGN UP HERE: https://bit.ly/30iKLHY

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Improving Broadband Access Does Double Duty for Biden’s Top Priorities

Making broadband accessible and affordable across the country would help President Biden with his top priorities—fighting Covid-19 and improving the economy. Former congressman Rick Boucher, honorary chair of the Internet Innovation Alliance, and Bruce Mehlman, co-chairman of the IIA, look at programs in the coronavirus relief package, favor universal service programs, and say the FCC needs to modernize its access program as first steps.

In a Bloomberg Law Insight, IIA Chairs Bruce Mehlman, former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Tech Policy, and former Congressman Rick Boucher say Congress should act immediately to help millions of Americans without affordable broadband, and the FCC should proceed with Lifeline modernization in 2021. Read the full article: https://bit.ly/3q72IDO

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CONGRATS, Chairwoman Rosenworcel!