Congress Must Keep Our Communities Connected via FCC Spectrum Auctions

The vastness of the Asian American and Pacific Islander experience shows that our communities are both early tech adopters and also at risk of being left behind by the digital divide.

Nielsen found that Asian American households over-index against white households by 16% when it comes to smartphone ownership. But research is also starting to show that stats like that are not the whole story, and among the diverse ethnic groups that make up the Asian American and Pacific Islander demographic, there are many that face gaps in access to connectivity.

While seemingly opposite experiences, both ends of the AAPI connectivity story show how important it is to our community’s future.

And for wireless connectivity to continue to play a key role in both bridging the digital divide and helping our communities stay on the front lines of tech adoption, these networks need more of the fuel that powers them: spectrum.

Wireless providers bid in auctions to buy spectrum, which is a limited, natural resource. Providers then deploy cell towers and cell sites to utilize the spectrum and create network coverage and capacity.

As demand for wireless connectivity, particularly mobile data, grows dramatically in the years ahead, more capacity will be needed. In fact, Ericsson’s Mobility Report predicts a 200% increase in mobile data use in the next five years. 5G use cases are steadily growing, and the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and more applications are data- and capacity-intensive, which will further strain networks.

To ensure networks have the capacity they need — and to help enhance coverage — Congress should reauthorize the FCC to hold spectrum auctions. Auction authority is set to expire on December 16th.

Spectrum auctions are an efficient, established means of getting spectrum deployed for wireless networks. Auctions also raise money for the U.S. government, and these funds could be leveraged to close the digital divide, or other policy priorities that can benefit AAPI communities.

Spectrum also provides the backbone for major economic contributions — from wireless companies of course, but also from app developers, the gaming industry, social networks, and other online, mobile-first sectors. A recent Compass Lexecon report found that the wireless industry contributes $825B in GDP and enables 4.5 million jobs each year for the U.S.

OCA — Asian Pacific American Advocates encourages our partners to learn more about the need for more spectrum to support robust connectivity for AAPI households across the country. We also encourage Congress to reauthorize the FCC to hold these important auctions, in support of the U.S. economy and technological advancement. And we look forward to working with the wireless industry to further close the digital divide for our AAPI communities.