Now more than ever, local communities want and need universal broadband coverage for their students, small businesses and heathcare workers. COVID-19 has exposed deep gaps in Americans’ ability to access the internet, and it’s time for policy makers at the federal, state and local levels of government to take action.

In a new policy paper - Broadband Blueprint: How to Achieve Universal Availability - and Medium blog post, INCOMPAS is looking to provide a roadmap for policy makers looking to access federal funds and attract private investment.

The paper calls for Congress to act and make $100 billion in federal funding available to local communities. It also introduces six principles for states and local communities looking to kick-start their deployment efforts.

These six principles include:

The paper’s lead author, Angie Kronenberg, INCOMPAS chief advocate and general counsel, said the mission to achieve universal availability is a lofty, but mandatory goal.

“Stories about kids doing homework in parking lots because they lack access to fast, affordable broadband at home are a national tragedy. Our paper is unique in that it asks policy makers to harness the power of an internet and streaming-driven economy to better unlock local deployment opportunities," she said. "We have the ability and responsibility as Americans to go big and bold on broadband. Now is the time and we hope this paper serves as a roadmap for our nation."

To share and retweet the paper, click here. 

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced the Commission’s intentions to regulate Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

“Congress, not the FCC, has authority over Section 230 and has been extremely active in that conversation," said INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering. "While we don’t doubt the intentions of Chairman Pai and others, there is simply not a sufficient record of support at the FCC that warrants Commission involvement at this time. Even the original authors of Section 230 said the FCC has no role to play in the law’s interpretation and have warned against the risks to small businesses and start-ups online.”