FCC https://www.fcc.gov Commissioner Geoffrey Starks speaking at the 15th annual ABA/FCBA Privacy and Data Security Symposium, pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought into focus a host of problems related to the digital divide. He believes that technology and communications networks must play an important role as we move forward.
He emphasized that while the benefits of broadband are lifechanging, broadband is still not available to everyone. According to an analysis of U.S. Census data, more than 77 million in the U.S lack a home broadband connection which means they either have no home internet service or rely solely on mobile wireless service.
It is noted that with this alarming lack of broadband, the trend is moving in the wrong direction as home broadband adoption rates are slowing and the numbers are increasing for households accessing the internet by using only mobile devices.
On the security side, there is an immediate need to secure communication networks. The Find It, Fix It, Fund It initiative has made it known that there is an urgent need to support small and rural companies as they work to make their networks more secure by addressing sources for equipment that might have been obtained from untrustworthy vendors in wireless networks.
As for privacy issues, there has been concern about adopting contact tracing applications, and as a result, there has been relatively low adoption rates in general for apps despite strong efforts by app developers to avoid collecting sensitive location data.
Another reason why consumers might not adopt apps. The fact is, one in six Americans do not have a smartphone, and the number of smartphones are particularly low among the senior population.
In addition, consumers distrust how the information is gathered and will be used in apps. For example, location data is personal, revealing, and can be ripe for misuse. Also, the FCC needs to do more to protect Americans who benefit from the Lifeline Program, which is the only federal program specifically designed to connect low-income people to modern communications networks.
Commissioner Starks concluded by saying, “That while technology has evolved and deepened the foothold in our daily lives, the issues driving privacy and security debates remain largely the same.”