The FCC today announced a new initiative designed to drastically improve broadband access in the United States and bring many of the estimated 100 million Americans who lack broadband into the wired world.  The Hispanic Institute commends the FCC and President Obama for their creativity in forming a broad coalition of computer hardware suppliers, internet providers and non-profits to both service and educate low-income Americans on the benefits of crossing the digital divide. In our opinion this commercial/non-commercial alliance has the best chance for success.

THI has long advocated for programs which can help Latinos get online.  While recent research has found that Hispanic Americans are aggressive early adopters of wireless phones, they use home internet far less than their white counterparts.  The problem is acute among foreign-born Hispanics; barely more than half log-on at home.  This places Hispanics of all ages at a competitive disadvantage in the rapidly expanding wireless economy.  

THI Board Chair Gus West downplayed criticisms that the program, which is limited to low-income families with children in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) did not reach broadly enough to close the digital divide. "We see this as important step in the right direction. We hope that the criteria will open to include lower wage earning families in the near future." 

The program builds on the framework of the Comcast "Internet Essentials" program, which THI endorsed this past July.  It offers computers to low-income families for $150 dollars and offers broadband access for $9.99 a month.  Adding cable mainstays like Charter, Cox and Time Warner Cable can only improve the initiative and build more momentum. The hope is that more Americans are connected and that they realize economic benefit, see the power of internet connectivity, and stay connected.

THI applauds the scope of this program and believes it will bring more American families into the digital world.  THI believes that this program will be sustained and expanded even further.