Broaden Low-Income Internet Eligibility Criteria in Charter/TWC/BHN, Coalition for Broadband Equity Says
Any Charter Communications buy of Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable should include conditions that boost residential cable Internet access for low-income households, including broadening the eligibility requirements for its program for residential cable Internet access for low-income households,…
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the Coalition for Broadband Equity said in an FCC ex parte filing posted Wednesday in docket 15-149. The coalition -- an unfunded association made up of a variety of community groups, schools, government agencies and libraries scattered across five states -- said Charter/TWC/BHN should also be predicated on conditions that set "specific, ambitious and accountable enrollment goals" for that Internet discount plan, and require spending of at least $50 million a year in outreach and marketing of the plan. The ex parte recapped a phone call between coalition members and staff of Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, during which there was some discussion about the problems with using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program enrollment as an eligibility criterion for low-income discounts, the coalition said. In a statement Thursday, Charter said it "will expand Bright House Networks’ low-income broadband service to the current Charter and TWC footprint, increase the speed, expand eligibility, and continue to offer the service at a significant discount.”