Several dozen left-leaning groups are demanding that Fox News ask candidates during Thursday night’s Republican presidential debate what they will do to subsidize high-speed Internet access.
“For all of the talk of taxes, higher education [costs], and healthcare, candidates and journalists have largely ignored a critical issue that would make it easier and more affordable for low-income families, communities of color and rural Americans to find jobs, get an education, and increase the opportunities for their families and futures,” states the letter, which is addressed to Fox News hosts Megyn Kelly, Bret Baier and Chris Wallace.
“If you are elected president, what will you do to ensure that all Americans have affordable access to this vital tool?” the letter requests the debate moderators ask candidates. It added that by one measure, 34 million Americans do not have access to what the authors describe as “truly high-speed Internet.”
The signatories include a range of groups, including the liberal Daily Kos, the non-profit Electronic Frontier Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union, Color of Change, and the NAACP.
“American voters deserve to know where these candidates stand on this issue, one which will have enormous consequences on the economic and educational opportunities not only for this generation, but for future ones as well,” the letter concluded.
The Federal Communications Commission is tentatively set to expand its Lifeline program, which subsidizes telecommunication services for low-income consumers, to Internet access next month. That program, which only provides about $10 per month to beneficiaries, likely will not go far enough for proponents of subsidies.
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However, even that subsidy may be beyond the ability of the FCC to afford on its present budget. On Wednesday, FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai told a Senate panel that a new Internet tax of approximately 18 percent would be required in order to fund the agency’s expanding programs.
