Consumer Action: FCC Chair Visit to South Carolina to Tout Closing Digital Divide Ignores 92,000 in State Who Would Lose Access Under His Plans

CHARLESTON, S.C., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Ajit Pai is in South Carolina today to address the topic of "closing the digital divide," but Consumer Action is pointing out that Pai's plan to seriously undermine the Lifeline program for low-income Americans would actually result in nearly 100,000 state households losing phone or broadband service.

In a statement, Consumer Action Executive Director Ken McEldowney said:  

"Chairman Pai talks a good game about closing the digital divide, but it is impossible to ignore the fact that nothing he has put on the table would offset the estimated 92,000 people in South Carolina who would lose cell phone or broadband service if the FCC proceeds with the Chairman's attempts to radically reshape the Lifeline program for low-income Americans.

"We are talking about more than 16,000 households in the state with veterans enrolled in Lifeline, many thousands of seniors, and tens of thousands of households with children under 18.  The latter group is a direct concern in the digital divide context since these young people need the Internet to do their homework and thrive in school.  Why would the Chairman deliberately open up a 'homework gap' for tens of thousands of homes with South Carolina children?

"If Chairman Pai is serious about his plans to close the digital divide, he will abandon his campaign to gut Lifeline by wiping out 70 percent of existing subscribers who use what are known as 'resellers.'  He will allow Lifeline to continue to be an important part of what tens of thousands of state residents rely on to stay in touch with doctors, emergency services, employers, educational institutions, and families."

Consumer Action is a national consumer organization that works with more than 50 South Carolina advocacy organizations representing credit counseling agencies, legal services, workforce development, military, cooperative extension programs and more.

SOURCE Consumer Action