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<p><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 18pt;">The White House</span><br>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif"><a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/taxonomy/term/926" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman',serif; color:rgb(51,102,153); text-decoration:none">Office
of the Press Secretary</span></a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">For Immediate Release<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">March 09, 2016<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-size:26.5pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif; color:rgb(51,51,51)">FACT SHEET: President Obama Announces ConnectALL Initiative<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; color:rgb(67,67,67); letter-spacing:0.1pt">Delivering on the Promise of Broadband & Access to Technology for All Americans<u></u><u></u></span></i></p>
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; color:rgb(67,67,67); letter-spacing:0.1pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/03/09/fact-sheet-president-obama-announces-connectall-initiative" target="_blank">https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/03/09/fact-sheet-president-obama-announces-connectall-initiative</a><u></u><u></u></p>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; color:rgb(67,67,67); letter-spacing:0.1pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt; line-height:16.6pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; color:rgb(67,67,67); letter-spacing:0.1pt">Connectivity is a path to greater opportunity. In today’s world, broadband and
fluency with technology fuel economic growth, provide access to the world’s knowledge, promote skill development, and build stronger and more connected communities. <u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt; line-height:16.6pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; color:rgb(67,67,67); letter-spacing:0.1pt">During President Obama’s seven years in office, we’ve seen unprecedented gains
in wiring our nation for the future, including a tripling of the average home Internet speed, covering 98 percent of Americans with fast 4G/LTE mobile broadband, and doubling the number of schools connected to high-speed Internet. As a result, we’ve seen
a technology sector that spans coast to coast, the creation of millions of high-paying jobs, and a revolution in the way students learn in the classroom.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt; line-height:16.6pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; color:rgb(67,67,67); letter-spacing:0.1pt">To further our efforts, and to ensure that low-income Americans can seize the
opportunities of the digital age, <b>President Obama is unveiling ConnectALL,</b> an initiative to help Americans from across the country, at every income level, get online and have the tools to take full advantage of the Internet. Today, the Administration
is <a href="https://www.ntia.doc.gov/fcc-filing/2016/ntia-comments-fcc-lifeline-and-link-reform-and-modernization" target="_blank">
<span style="color:rgb(51,102,153); text-decoration:none">submitting its recommendation</span></a> that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reform a $1.5 billion per year Reagan-era phone subsidy program to turn it into a 21st Century national broadband
subsidy to help low-income Americans get online. Alongside this FCC filing, the Administration is
<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/page/files/20160308_broadband_cea_issue_brief.pdf" target="_blank">
<span style="color:rgb(51,102,153); text-decoration:none">releasing a new study on the economic importance of broadband</span></a> and calling for nonprofits, businesses, technology experts, and Government to join a national effort
<b>to reach the ConnectALL goal of connecting 20 million more Americans to broadband by 2020.</b><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; color:rgb(67,67,67); letter-spacing:0.1pt">BUILDING ON SEVEN YEARS OF BROADBAND GROWTH<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt; line-height:16.6pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; color:rgb(67,67,67); letter-spacing:0.1pt">Today’s announcement rounds out seven years of progress expanding broadband,
combining smart policy with unprecedented investment to deliver faster connectivity to more Americans in their homes, through their mobile devices, and where they learn and work. As a result, tens of millions more Americans are online now than when the President
took office; his <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/ConnectED" target="_blank">
<span style="color:rgb(51,102,153); text-decoration:none">ConnectED Initiative</span></a> has given over 20 million more K-12 students access to broadband in their classrooms and libraries; and 28 communities have come together under the banner of ConnectHome
to ensure kids living in public housing have a reliable way to get online and do their homework.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; color:rgb(67,67,67); letter-spacing:0.1pt">ENSURING LOW-INCOME AMERICANS AREN’T LEFT BEHIND<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt; line-height:16.6pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; color:rgb(67,67,67); letter-spacing:0.1pt">Even with the significant progress we’ve made, more work remains to help all
Americans access the economic benefits of broadband, especially low-income households. Families earning under $25,000 a year are about half as likely to have the Internet at home as families that are the most well-off.
<b>A <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/page/files/20160308_broadband_cea_issue_brief.pdf" target="_blank">
<span style="color:rgb(51,102,153); text-decoration:none">new Issue Brief</span></a> released today by the Council of Economic Advisers</b> outlines how being offline is more than inconvenient; it creates specific economic costs, especially for job-seekers
unable to access online job search tools. Today, because of a digital divide, low-income Americans have a harder time accessing these tools, and unemployed workers without home Internet access take a longer time to find employment. Given these costs, we
cannot be satisfied if broadband is out of reach for anyone in America, and today, President Obama is acting to make that a part of the past.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt; line-height:16.6pt"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; color:rgb(67,67,67); letter-spacing:0.1pt">So today, the President is launching ConnectALL to ensure more Americans have
the broadband they need to get a job, engage their community, and deliver opportunity to their children by:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; color:rgb(67,67,67); letter-spacing:0.1pt"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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</span></span></span><u></u><b><i><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">Increasing the affordability of broadband for low-income Americans.</span></i></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">
Today, the Department of Commerce’s <b>National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)</b>, on behalf of the Administration, is filing comments in support of the FCC’s effort to reform its Lifeline program to address the way people communicate
in the 21st century. When Lifeline was first created under President Reagan, it was designed to provide low-income Americans with financial assistance to purchase affordable phone service, so the most vulnerable Americans were connected to the rest of the
country. In 2005, President George W. Bush expanded the program to include mobile phones. Now in 2016, when we use the Internet to communicate more than ever<b>, it is time to modernize Lifeline</b> and make sure that all Americans can access the broadband
services they need. The Lifeline reforms the Administration is recommending today would give the 12 million households currently using the subsidy for phone service immediate help paying their monthly broadband bill. And it has the potential to benefit tens
of millions more. The modernization we are outlining: <u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">Encourages consumer choice. The subsidy should be flexible enough to let low-income Americans choose the service plans that best fit their
families’ needs — whether voice, data plans, or in-home broadband. We are recommending a direct and portable benefit that consumers can use to make their own choices about what services they need and who they get those services from.<u></u><u></u></span></li></ul>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">Coordinates Enrollment with other Government Programs<b>.
</b>Those eligible for Lifeline are oftentimes eligible for other government assistance. Coordination will increase the efficacy and functionality of the program’s administration while also letting those who need it most know about the resources available to
them. The proposed reforms would allow Americans to obtain education about or simultaneously enroll themselves in the revamped Lifeline program when they enroll in another state-administered public assistance program, such as Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP), and Tribally-Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TTANF).<u></u><u></u></span></li></ul>
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</span></span></span><u></u><b><i><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">Initiating a national service effort to deliver digital literacy skills.</span></i></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">
To increase access to digital literacy training, the <b>Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS)</b>, the Federal agency that engages millions of Americans in service and in developing community solutions, and the
<b>Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)</b>, which is the primary source of Federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums, are collaborating on a Digital Literacy Pilot Project. AmeriCorps VISTA members will support libraries,
museums and associated community organizations located in tribal and rural communities. The goal is to build capacity and increase digital literacy efforts, complementing the Administration’s work to increase broadband adoption among low-income households.
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">Additionally,<b> Make School</b>, a two-year college alternative that teaches advanced coding and product development, is announcing the
creation of a new tool that will teach the basic, but vital, skills needed to get people online and experiencing the benefits that the Internet has to offer.<u></u><u></u></span></li></ul>
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</span></span></span><u></u><b><i><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">Increasing access to affordable devices</span></i></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">. In order to promote the
reuse of equipment no longer needed by the federal government, <b>the General Services Administration (GSA)</b> will lead an inter-agency effort to re-engineer the
<b>Computers for Learning</b> program to expand access to devices for more organizations that help provide digital literacy and training for low-income Americans. Computers for Learning allows schools and nonprofit organizations to take advantage of unneeded
federal computer equipment. In 2014, 38 Federal Agencies donated thousands of devices, and the program’s reforms are designed to significantly increase these numbers.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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</span></span></span><u></u><b><i><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">Announcing the development of a tool to support broadband planning</span></i></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">.
To empower more communities with strategies to support and accelerate local broadband planning efforts<b>, NTIA’s BroadbandUSA</b> program is launching the
<b>Community Connectivity Initiative,</b> which will create a comprehensive online assessment tool to help community leaders identify critical broadband needs and connect them with expertise, tools, and resources for overcoming the challenges to expanded broadband
deployment and adoption. <u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt; line-height:18pt"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">The American Library Association; Blandin Foundation; ConnectME Authority; EveryoneOn; ICMA, The International City/County
Management Association; National Association of Counties; National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors; National Digital Inclusion Alliance; National League of Cities; New America’s Open Technology Institute; Next Century Cities, NetworkMe,
NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association; Schools, Health, and Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHELB);
</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">and<b> US Ignite</b> have come on board to collaborate with NTIA to design and develop the tool.<u></u><u></u></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt; line-height:18pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">In addition, initial communities who will support the development of the tool include
<b>Ammon, ID; Arvada, CO; Baltimore, MD; Bettendorf, IA; Boston, MA; Charlotte, NC; Greenbelt, MD ; Hopewell, VA.; Hot Springs, AK.; Hurst, TX; Kansas City, MO.; Kenmore, WA; Lenexa, KS.; Oak Harbor, WA; Putnam, CT; SeaTac, WA; Red Wing, MN; Sammamish, WA;
</b>and<b> Seattle, WA. </b><u></u><u></u></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">The Community Connectivity Initiative will build on NTIA’s extensive work with communities across the country, supporting broadband planning,
infrastructure deployment, public computer centers, and a wide range of community applications.<u></u><u></u></span></li></ul>
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</span></span></span><u></u><b><i><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">Bringing together private sector companies helping to deliver affordable connectivity</span></i></b><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">.</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">
Companies are also lending their support for low-income families in their service areas. Today, Cox Communications is announcing it will host more than 200 events across the nation for low-income K-12 families, automatically qualifying attendees for their
low-cost broadband option. Later this year, the company will partner with Univision to promote internet adoption through live programming, public service announcements and community events in such markets as Phoenix, Las Vegas, and San Diego.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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</span></span></span><u></u><b><i><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">Marshaling philanthropic support for digital inclusion</span></i></b><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">.
</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif">To increase access to resources to support digital inclusion efforts under way in communities across the country, later this year the Administration will convene leaders in
the philanthropic, non-profit, and private sectors to a summit focused on building on our progress to date and delivering on ConnectALL’s vision of connecting 20 million more Americans to broadband by 2020.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt">Joelle Tessler<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt">Manager of Stakeholder Relations and Outreach<br>
BroadbandUSA<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt">Office of Telecommunications and Information Applications<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt">National Telecommunications and Information Administration<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt">U.S. Department of Commerce<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt; color:black"><a href="mailto:jtessler@ntia.doc.gov" target="_blank">jtessler@ntia.doc.gov</a></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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