Walden Urges ISPs, Carriers to Increase Data Availability Amid COVID-19
House Commerce Committee ranking member Greg Walden, R-Ore., urged ISPs and wireless carriers Tuesday to temporarily make available as much data as possible to customers amid increased reliance on home networks during the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted many ISPs agreed…
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to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s call for them to keep everyone online during the epidemic (see 2003130066), but “more can be done.” Increasing “data caps for hotspots is the fastest way to connect Americans temporarily who do not have Wi-Fi at home,” Walden said. That “temporary action can fill the gap during this crisis,” but “it could cause network congestion in the long-term if everyone were to rely on this access. We must not lose sight of the bigger problem: the need to deploy broadband in the long-term.” The “broadband divide has never come more clearly into focus than now where states, including Oregon, are saying online school work won’t count in part because not all students have access to broadband,” he said. CTIA didn't comment.