House Schedules Digital Equity Hearing

The House Energy & Commerce Committee Communications Subcommittee will hold a hearing on "internet adoption and digital equity" Jan. 29. 

Congressional Democrats have been pushing to use the proceeds from a C-Band spectrum auction to fund rural broadband buildouts, which the Democratic leadership of the Committee referenced in announcing the hearing. 

"As the Subcommittee continues to consider revenue-raising spectrum auction legislation, a full appreciation of the issues posed by poor broadband adoption will be crucial to the discussion," said Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-Pa.). 

Educating low-income residents about the value of adopting broadband once it is available is also part of the challenge. 

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.