WEBVTT

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Hi, I'm David Don,

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and this is “Policy Questions
With...” a series

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where we explore

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the intersection of policy,
technology and business.

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Today we'll be speaking
with Broderick Johnson,

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Comcast's Executive Vice
President of Public Policy

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and Executive Vice
President of Digital Equity.

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We'll be speaking
about broadband adoption,

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affordability
and closing the digital divide.

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Broderick, thanks so much
for being here today.

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It's great to be here.

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Thank you.

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So, Broderick, let's jump
into broadband adoption.

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We know the FCC data says
broadband is actually available

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to about 94% of the country.

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Yet, we know that about 20%

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aren't adopting broadband
when it is available.

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Why is it so important
that we get everyone online?

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Well, David, we're going to talk
about the barriers to adoption

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that go beyond affordability
because often times

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people cite affordability as the
as oh, it's the only barrier.

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So we'll talk about that a bit.

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You know, I learned about this
notion of joy often times,

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you know,
that the internet brings.

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I learned about this.,
this notion of joy

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stuck with me, really,
about two years ago

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when I was in Houston
with a group of senior citizens

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learning from them
why it was that online,

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that access to the internet
and them using the internet

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was so important
to their daily lives.

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There's one gentleman that
that his story sticks with me.

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I asked him,

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you know, what do you do all day
when, when you are online?

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And he talked about being able
to, you know, visit,

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you know, with his children

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and his grandchildren
during the pandemic.

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But he also talked about
being able to watch his favorite

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TV show, “Gunsmoke”,
a show in the 60s and 70s.

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Right.

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And he could
watch those episodes,

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and it made him so happy,
so joyous on a day to day basis.

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So we talk about education.

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We talk about health care,

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we talk about job skills
training, all those things

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that are really important.

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But joy is just as important
to people's lives as well.

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So it's critical

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not just because it connects us
to our jobs all day.

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That's right.

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So Congress a few years ago
in the Infrastructure Act,

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recognized the importance
of getting everyone online

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and passed

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a program called the Affordable
Connectivity Program.

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Where it dedicated about $14
billion to get everyone online.

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Unfortunately,
that program ended in June.

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What is the current state

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of broadband affordability
in the aftermath of ACP?

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What we found was, and research
has continued to bear this out,

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is that affordability
is not the sole

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or even biggest barrier
for many people,

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because even with a voucher
that would make the internet

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free, only
half of the eligible households

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actually took advantage
of the ACP program.

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So affordability is something
that oftentimes is a is really

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a misperception about the real
barriers to internet access.

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So let's
expand on that a little bit

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because that's an important
policy talk.

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If it isn't affordability

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or at least
it's not the sole barrier,

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what is holding people back

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from signing up
to high speed broadband?

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So it's not even in many cases,
you know, not the sole barrier.

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It's oftentimes
not a barrier at all.

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The larger barriers
that research is showing us

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have to do with lack of digital
skills.

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People who don't know how to use
a computer, don't know how to

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actually access the internet
that's available to them.

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Another major barrier
is a lack of understanding why

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the internet is relevant
to make your life better.

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Many people just have no sense
of what they can do

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as a result of the internet.

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So, to get past those barriers,
we have to continue to work

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with trusted folks
in different communities,

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so people can feel

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more comfortable
about using the internet

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because they develop
the digital skills,

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but also to help
people understand

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how it can improve their lives.

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I think many of our viewers
would be surprised to learn

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that even when the price
is taken down to zero,

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there are still millions
of Americans who choose

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or elect not to adopt
broadband services .

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At Comcast.,

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so we address addressing
affordability as a barrier.

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12 years ago
through our Internet Essentials

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program, 10 million people

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signed up to the Internet
Essentials program,

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but we still learned,
as a result of the fact

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that many people
who were eligible

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did not, that we had to address
the adoption related issues.

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And so Internet
Essentials continues of course,

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as a very strong, I'd say,
industry leading program today.

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But we also have had to invest
in different community based

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organizations, what we refer
to as digital navigators.

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These are people
trusted in the communities

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in which they serve
and live and operate.

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So, they can basically, go door
to door or school to school

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or church, wherever it is
that people will come

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where they feel comfortable
learning

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how to use the internet,
to do the work as trusted

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advisors, as trusted, neighbors
working with people

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in their communities.
That's another one.

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So to close that adoption gap,
you really need to meet people

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where they are. Absolutely.

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Meet them where they are.
Where they are comfortable.

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Now, that also can mean
maybe it's not at home

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where they will have access
to the internet,

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because there are structural
barriers that get in the way

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for some people.

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So another best practice, again,
that we have been leading

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the way at Comcast has to do
with what are called Lift Zones.

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And we have established over
1,250 Lift Zones.

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And these are community centers
and, and communities all across

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this country where kids
can go to do their homework.

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People can go and, and, apply
for a job on the internet.

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And so these, again,
a very important best practice

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innovation
that is proving successful

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and that we continue to invest

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in and others are doing similar
things around the country.

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Let's pivot for a moment.

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We didn't go over
your full resumé at the intro,

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but you've also served

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as Cabinet Secretary
in the White House

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and held other senior
policy roles in government.

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What recommendations
would you give to policymakers

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as they consider
how to close the digital divide?

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First and foremost, we have to
use data to help us define

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what the what the problem is
and what the solutions are.

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Too often anecdotes, things
that make you feel good

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about the fact
that things have changed

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for some people in some
communities, sort of is enough.

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We need to have a data
based focus

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on what the challenges are.

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And government should do that

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and business
should do that as well.

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That's why
we have devoted so much

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and our own resources
working in partnership

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with independent, research
based organizations

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to understand the barriers

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to broadband adoption,
particularly

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those that have nothing to do
with affordability.

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Of course, public and private
partnerships between government

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and the private sector
are important as well.

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And then,

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you know, not assuming that
we know what's best for people,

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but going into communities
and getting people's, views

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that can help really educate
how we go about making the best

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use of the resources
that we are committing

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to help them
address their needs.

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So, you know, it's interesting
you brought this up because,

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many people perceive the,

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broadband

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adoption challenge
to be an urban challenge,

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but in reality it exists
in rural areas as well.

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I know recently
you visited one of our rural

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projects in Virginia,

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what can you tell us about
how we can ensure

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that federal funds address
both the availability

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and the adoption gaps in rural
areas, too?

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Yeah.

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So the digital divide
is not an urban problem solely.

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We've all recognized that,
government has recognized that

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with massive investments,
massive amounts of money,

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I should say, that are out there
for potential investments

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where the public sector
will team

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with the private sector,
with companies like Comcast,

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to build out into rural America,
to make sure

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that the internet is ubiquitous
in those areas as well.

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But it's not enough, again,
to just help build

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the infrastructure.

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Adoption challenges

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are there for people
in rural areas

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as much as anywhere else,
so we have to take

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that as a similar approach
and how we address

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adoption issues so people,
again, can feel comfortable.

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You can understand the relevance
of the internet to their lives

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and have the basic skills
that they need.

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Government

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needs to make sure, though, that
it doesn't, through guidelines

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and through regulations,
make it difficult,

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more difficult than certainly
it should be

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for private sector actors
to come to the table as well.

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So it's not just
if you build it, they will come.

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That's right.

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We've had too many examples
of that

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where something's built
the “bridge to nowhere”

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and for example, is one
that people thought.

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Well, this has been a great
and an important discussion

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today, Broderick. Thank you.

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But before I let you go,

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we have a tradition here

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on Policy Questions
with all of our guests

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about what technology innovation

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has you most excited
about the future?

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Well, I love sports
and the importance of technology

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and sports
and what that can bring.

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But something that really hit me
over the last few months was,

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something that was, again,
a great, joyful experience of

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being with a group of veterans
who came to Washington, DC,

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and actually met
with the Veterans Administration

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to talk about how the role

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that virtual reality
can play in helping veterans,

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whether it's overcoming
mental health challenges

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or providing new experimental
therapies for veterans.

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And and the fact that this group
of aviators,

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this group of Vietnam War
veterans

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actually
could come to Washington

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and help the Veterans
Administration

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understand
how to do a better job using

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virtual reality technologies.

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It was great.

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To improve the lives of these
veterans and really terrific.

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And others.
Yes. It's incredible.

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Well, Broderick, thank you
so much for being here today.

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And thank

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you for joining us for this
great conversation.

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I'm David Don and this has been
“Policy Questions With...

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Broderick Johnson”.

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We'll see you next time.

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we most

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we talk about broadband
as an infrastructure challenge.

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And there is
we know millions are still not,

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connected,
don't have it available to them.

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But we need to be talking more
about this adoption challenge.

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It seems like
it doesn't get quite the same.

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press time again. Yeah.

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Here's a parallel.

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you know, David, imagine

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if we invested in building
community swimming pools

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all across the United States

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in places where people had
not had swimming pools before.

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And we didn't, though,
provide lessons for them

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to be able to learn to swim and
to be willing to take the risk.

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That would be a waste.