North Carolina AG urges lawmakers to use $13.4M from Dish Network settlement for internet expansion
(The Center Square) – North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein has called on lawmakers to use $13.4 million won in a settlement from Dish Network to expand internet access for public schools.
The state was awarded the money in December after a federal appeals court upheld a trial court’s judgment holding Dish Network accountable for making millions of unwanted calls to people on the Do Not Call list. Stein wants lawmakers to use the settlement funds to continue expanding internet access across the state.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, many students and teachers throughout the state have had to transition to remote learning and virtual classrooms,” Stein said in a letter sent to lawmakers Friday. “This situation has underscored the vital need for access to sufficient broadband. It has also highlighted some of the disparities that exist in our state, particularly in more rural areas, between broadband haves and have-nots.”
According to the state’s broadband availability index, more than 30 counties scored less than 60 on the broadband availability scale of 0 to 95. A National Governors Association report published in November showed North Carolina’s internet connectivity has increased 44% between 2014 and 2019. In March 2019, Gov. Roy Cooper created the Task Force on Connecting North Carolina to promote broadband expansion in the state.
Lawmakers passed and Cooper signed legislation in September that allocated $30 million in federal coronavirus relief funding for private providers to apply for grants to expand broadband internet through the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) Program. A total of $29.8 million was awarded in December to 11 providers and cooperatives for projects in 18 counties.
“Educational opportunities in a virtual environment are almost non-existent for students who do not have access to a decent internet connection,” Stein said. “We need to bridge these digital divides as much as possible in order to provide students and teachers with the tools they urgently need during these difficult times.”
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois first entered the $280 million judgment against Dish Network in 2017 and ordered the company to reform its telemarketing practices. The federal government, California, Illinois and Ohio were co-plaintiffs in the case. A total of $210 million was awarded in the settlement. North Carolina received $13.9 million in December.
A spokesperson for House Speaker Tim Moore’s office said lawmakers appreciate Stein’s input on the appropriation and “will take his recommendation under advisement.”
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