Groups Prioritize EBB Consumer Outreach, Education

Stakeholders are increasing outreach before the FCC's emergency broadband benefit program starts on May 12 (see 2102250066). Some remain concerned whether EBB efforts will reach consumers that need the support the most, they said in recent interviews.

“Help is around the corner” for families that have been “struggling to get online throughout this pandemic,” said FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. The agency got "this program off the ground in record time.” More than 750 providers were approved to participate, and interested providers are being considered on a rolling basis, said a spokesperson. The commission has been working to help participating providers familiarize themselves with the system and is “making sure we have strong security and privacy protections in place,” said a spokesperson.

ISP outreach and consumer education are called key.

Starry has an email campaign within the wireless ISP's service area to tell people about the benefit. It's "targeted at reaching existing subscribers within our Starry Connect footprint,” which connects households in public and affordable housing, said Senior Vice President-Government Affairs Virginia Lam Abrams. For potential subscribers, Starry plans to carry out a field marketing campaign alongside community-based organizations, Abrams said. The company announced its participation in the program shortly after Rosenworcel's Thursday announcement of EBB's start date (see 2104010071).

AT&T said it plans to begin accepting EBB customers "within days" after the program starts. “We are eager to step up and work hand-in-hand with the federal government to provide relief to customers while helping to bridge the digital divide," said AT&T CEO Jeff McElfresh. Comcast created a flyer in English and Spanish promoting the benefit and included steps for new and existing customers interested in applying. CTIA is working with the FCC, said Senior Vice President-Regulatory Affairs Scott Bergmann. Industry is “working hard to ensure millions of low-income consumers are able to access this important benefit during this challenging time,” he said.

ACA Connects deferred to members regarding methods of promoting the program, emailed a spokesperson. Members Sparklight and WOW created websites with more information about the services they made eligible for the monthly discount.

The EBB program “could be a game-changer for low-income households,” said Next Century Cities Executive Director Francella Ochillo. “Now that the program has an official start date, the FCC, [Universal Service Administrative Co.], state and local governments, and community leaders must work together to ensure that every household that is eligible for the program actually finds out about this benefit."

The biggest obstacle has been “ensuring that we've reduced the amount of friction for consumers to take advantage of the benefits,” Abrams said. A key part of enrolling as many eligible households as possible is gaining consumers’ trust, and Starry will really rely on consumer organizations "to help lend legitimacy to the program,” she said. When consumers hear about the program from a community-based trusted organization and then again from their provider, “that's going to help increase the number of people who adopt and avail themselves of this particular benefit,” Abrams said.

Some expressed concerns about not having enough information. "It’s very mysterious how people are going to be able to sign up and what role they play as the intermediaries,” Ochillo said, regarding some stakeholders. Verifying consumer eligibility through the Lifeline program’s national verifier is the “hardest part,” said Joshua Edmonds, Detroit’s director of digital inclusion. Just 26% of the more than 1 million eligible subscribers in Michigan participate in Lifeline, per USAC data. Helping consumers navigate the verifier isn't something Edmonds can do as a third party, he said. “We don’t have the greatest answer there.”

Edmonds was frustrated that community groups were asking him questions he couldn't answer because the FCC wasn’t providing answers. “It really feels like we're getting the short end of the stick, and we're going to be judged based on their ineptitude and not ours,” he said: Even after Thursday's announcement, “I’m not sure how that will help us between now and the 12th.”

The FCC has been working with “over 11,000 outreach partners who have signed up to get the word out about the program,” said a spokesperson." It plans to continue holding webinars and outreach calls and sharing a toolkit to promote the program. The commission published a toolkit Monday for outreach partners to carry out email and social media campaigns, conduct presentations, and post flyers. The materials are in two dozen-plus languages.

Eligible consumers wanting to enroll by mail could have difficulty if they lack internet access and rely on anchor institutions, because many paused in-person services, said Claire Park, program associate at New America's Open Technology Institute. “I’m definitely worried.” If someone must apply by mail, “we strongly encourage consumers to include an email address on their paper application if they have one," said Jaymie Gustafson, USAC outreach director, during a Tuesday FCC webinar.