With a blessing from FCC Chmn. Powell, Verizon Avenue and One Eco...

housing developers to build infrastructure and integrate low-cost broadband access solutions into apartment buildings within Verizon’s 29 states and D.C. “Our goal… is to provide broadband access at affordable prices,” said Verizon Avenue CEO Bill Wallace: “We think this is good public policy and good business.” Wallace said he expected low- income families would be able to buy broadband services for “50% of what you'd normally pay… Our current business model, with the scale, term and penetration guarantees offered by developers… enables us affordable broadband services.” Powell strongly supported the initiative. At a press conference launching the partnership he said: “I am here not only to support this partnership but to say how unbelievably proud I am of this partnership… Proud that in the finest tradition of public service between private corporations and public entities we are committing to improving lives of people.” While the program’s initial focus will be on new affordable housing projects of at least 100 units, the companies said they intended to bring affordable broadband to existing properties as well. The companies said they expected to target a significant share of the 200,000 new low-income apartments built each year. They said they were looking into expanding this concept to rural and tribal environments as well as to rehabilitated properties. “A lot of times, public policies focus heavily on rural communities, understandably and rightfully,” Powell said: “I've always been saddened that in the rush to do that we've ignored the inner city community, where enormous amount of our population lives.” One Economy CEO Rey Ramsey said Verizon wouldn’t offer discounts directly to the residents but rather “substantially reduced costs to [affordable housing] developers,” which have “the ability to pass on those significant savings to end users.” He said the project wouldn’t involve extra money from the govt., but “more [efficient use of] the federal dollars that have already been allocated to the states through the tax credit program.” He said 17 states had changed their tax programs in response to the nonprofit’s national “Bring IT Home” public policy campaign launched in Feb., in which Verizon Avenue is a corporate partner, to “advantage the kind of work we are talking about… That’s very powerful and we want every state to sign on.” The goal is to “jumpstart into the future and say that when you are just paying for your rent, there is a service that is a natural extension of moving into that unit,” Ramsay said.