LAS VEGAS – A trio of principles will be key drivers in closing the digital divide: affordability, access, and awareness, according to MWC Las Vegas keynote session panelists Phillip French, VP, Verizon, and Stephen Matherne, AVP of AT&T.

Whether it's addressing the homework gap or delivering internet connections to U.S. Indian reservations, the panel focused on the notion that infrastructural fault lines run through multiple communities – in rural, suburban, and even densely urban areas – and that means it isn’t a one-solution-fits-all scenario.

It will heavily rely on “making sure that there's a partnership between public [and] private [sectors] ... and that really is going to take a lot of different resources to solve the problem,” French said during the panel. 

“The telephone was really designed for the elite. It was not affordable, attainable for the masses. That holds true today for connectivity,” Matherne said. “Back then we weren’t living in a world of universal access. Access was a huge deal back then. Guess what? Access is a big deal today.”

From a deployment perspective, both French and Matherne stressed that fiber is a critical piece of the last-mile puzzle, but French deemed fixed wireless access (FWA) as a “last-mile challenge."

Matherne noted that fiber is the best technology for bridging the digital divide, but it isn’t the right solution everywhere.

“It's an inclusive set of solutions, not one,” French added. It's important that users are empowered to target a solution tailored to their individual needs, and that a much-needed trust between providers and unconnected consumers can be established. 

Building Customer Trust Through Options

Within The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act providing $65 billion to broadband deployment is The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) – a benefit program providing a discount of up to $30 per month for internet service per household and up to $75 for households on qualifying Tribal Lands.

The panel discussed that while 48 million U.S. citizens are using the ACP, another 36.5 million eligible citizens are not. French continuously stressed that valuing consumer choice will be the backbone of receptivity. “Look, some of this segment [unconnected populations] does not trust yet that people [operators] really are here to help," he said.

French conveyed that the government needs to emphasize multiple choices for consumers to foster trust with remaining unconnected and underserved populations.

“So our perspective is, hey look, take the time to understand your unique challenges, and then work with the private sector to come in with a holistic approach that solves your connectivity needs for underserved and unserved [people],” Matherne added.

While both French and Matherne expressed a need for implementing variety of options to secure customer trust, they also listed ongoing barriers of topography and deployment funding being exhausted through permit restrictions keeping them from faster buildout.

They then turned to policymakers, stating they will need to incentivize investment from the private sector to build out a sustainable program. “I don't think we've unleashed a tenth of what 5G can bring to society as a whole,” French said.

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