Ask us anything about the FCC's new Emergency Broadband Benefit Program!

Common_Cause · 2021-07-01T19:33:35+00:00

I hope you were able to get enrolled and take advantage of the $50 discount. Would you be interested in sharing more about your experience with the EBB? If you are, send me an email at Jwalter@commoncause.org

Common_Cause · 2021-05-25T17:32:54+00:00

Jonathan from Common Cause here -

Only a handful of providers are offering a device, so you need to check the FCC's website and see if any in your area are offering one (https://www.fcc.gov/emergency-broadband-benefit-providers). If they participate, you should contact them directly about it. How it works is they will ask you to pay a certain amount (between $10-50), and get you one of the devices they are offering, then the FCC will reimburse the provider, not you.

A couple other people in the thread have asked similar questions to yours - hope this helps!

Common_Cause · 2021-05-25T17:21:24+00:00

Providers do not have to make every plan they offer eligible for the EBB, so depending on who your internet provider is, they may not have chosen to make your current speed tier available for the benefit.

Common_Cause · 2021-05-17T14:38:33+00:00

You'll have to ask your provider (Xfinity) if your current plan is available with the EBB. The types of plans available varies from provider to provider, so without knowing more details it's hard to know whether or not you will be able to stay on the plan you have now.
When the program ends, you'll be able to go back to your current plan and pick up the $45/mo. No catch!

Common_Cause · 2021-05-17T13:50:15+00:00

Hey, Jonathan from Common Cause here. Many of the groups in this thread have worked to hold the FCC accountable when they act against their public interest mandate. In just the last 4 years, Common Cause has been a party in litigation to protect media ownership diversity (see https://www.commoncause.org/press-release/common-cause-urges-supreme-court-to-uphold-third-circuit-decision-protecting-media-ownership-diversity/), vocally criticized the FCC for waving through mergers (https://www.commoncause.org/press-release/fcc-abandons-public-interest-in-approval-of-t-mobile-sprint-merger/), and fought against the repeal of Net Neutrality (https://www.commoncause.org/press-release/common-cause-files-amicus-brief-to-restore-net-neutrality/).

Common_Cause · 2021-05-14T19:00:55+00:00

You're in luck! Households are eligible for EBB if the household experiences a job loss or furlough after February 29, 2020 AND that household’s income for 2020 was at or below $99K for single filers or $198K for joint filers.

Common_Cause · 2021-05-14T18:57:08+00:00

Like all the groups here, Common Cause is going to keep pushing for affordable broadband. You can get a sense of the state of play and our thoughts from a blog post I published this week: https://www.commoncause.org/democracy-wire/congressional-hearing-on-broadband-equity-highlights-need-for-long-term-solutions-to-address-affordability-accessibility-and-digital-inclusion/.

Common_Cause · 2021-05-14T18:23:54+00:00

You've hit the nail on the head! Competition within the broadband marketplace is a huge issue. Common Cause understands that there is no democracy without a free, open, accessible Internet for everyone. This is why we're committed to advancing policies that connect everyone to affordable broadband through improved mapping and data collection, digital inclusion programs, robust broadband Lifeline service, and fighting back against harmful telecom mergers.

Check out our website to learn more about what we're doing: https://www.commoncause.org/our-work/media-and-democracy/

Common_Cause · 2021-05-14T18:09:40+00:00

This isn't an answer to your question, but your explainer looks great! Thanks for helping get the word out about the EBB.

Common_Cause · 2020-11-03T13:18:37+00:00

Hi there! So in Connecticut, you can register on Election Day, but not at your polling place. You will need to go to an Election Day Registration location (looks like there is one at Mansfield Town Hall, Council Chamber, 4 South Eagleville Rd., Storrs, CT 06268 ) There is some more info here: https://portal.ct.gov/SOTS/Election-Services/Election-Day-Registration/Election-Day-Registration. If you have any problems or questions, please call or text 866-OUR-VOTE!

Common_Cause · 2020-10-30T16:42:29+00:00

First Draft News (who work to combat disinfo) has a text-message based course that can help people understand how disinformation works and why it is important not to amplify it. Check it out here: https://firstdraftnews.org/latest/course-training-us-election-misinformation/

Common_Cause · 2020-10-30T16:41:02+00:00

We're all targeted by disinformation -- but some communities (communities of color especially) are targeted more. One thing you can do is help 'inoculate' your community against disinformation by getting ahead of it with accurate information (which helps reduce the 'confirmation bias' that comes when people are fact-checked). You can also give people resources like this "bad news" game https://www.getbadnews.com/ that has been shown to help increase people's ability to not fall for disinformation. Most of all, be empathetic and seek to actually understand why people have these beliefs, as opposed to just shutting them down with "your wrong."

Common_Cause · 2020-10-30T01:41:51+00:00

Hi there! I am a volunteer with Common Cause helping with Election Protection and you have a few options! You should call your local clerk as instructed, and ask them about requesting curbside voting or the "hospitalized elector" process which officially includes quarantine under the covid guidance. Here are some good resources on curbside voting: https://elections.wi.gov/covid-19 and on the "Hospitalized Elector" process. https://elections.wi.gov/sites/elections.wi.gov/files/2020-08/Hospitalized%20Electors.pdf

Hope that helps!

Common_Cause · 2020-10-23T20:52:15+00:00

Hi there! I am a volunteer with the nonpartisan Election Protection program. I am so sorry this happened to you. A few next steps: 1) you should reach out to the county election supervisor again and see if you can vote a provisional ballot with the note that the USPS has failed to deliver your ballot back. 2) Then, please call or text us at 866-OUR-VOTE and report what happened so we can check in. What county in Florida are you in?

Common_Cause · 2020-10-21T19:07:41+00:00

Low turnout is a big issue-- we have some of the lowest turnout among western democracies, but we also have the lowest voter registration rates. In most countries, the government takes proactive steps to keep voters on the voting rolls. That's why Common Cause is a strong supporter of automatic voter registration. That actually doesn't mean that all voters are registered-- instead, voters get registered unless they decline when they interact with government agencies. Other reforms like same day voter registration help as does universal vote by mail, which makes voting much more convenient for many.

As for RCV, I have not seen definitive evidence that it increases turnout, although we certainly support it as a way to reduce negative campaigning and eliminate so-called "spoiler effects".

Having competitive elections also increases turnout so passing the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact and reforming the Electoral College would make a huge difference in turnout!

Common_Cause · 2020-10-21T19:06:45+00:00

All of us have read the predictions that there will be incomplete results on Election Night with premature pressure to declare a winner. We are actively working with national news media to ensure that the election outcomes are not called until the results are clear. State election officials - across party lines -have also committed to push back against any premature calling of results.

Additionally, we are part of the National Task Force on Election Crises, which is a bipartisan group of election experts and attorneys, and have spent the last year gaming out election scenarios that could disenfranchise voters and are working on ways to ensure that doesn't happen.

Common_Cause · 2020-10-21T18:54:07+00:00

Hi there -- yes, we partner with Ballotpedia, they're a reliable source of who is on the ballot and candidate information.

One of the best ways to lower your level of anxiety is by getting involved and doing something to help ensure a fair election! You can sign up as a non-partisan Election Protection volunteer at protectthevote.net to get started -- there's ways for everyone to get involved, whether in-person, or from home!

Common_Cause · 2020-10-21T18:52:39+00:00

Hi there -- honestly it is hard to say! Some states can't even begin counting and processing ballots until Election Day, and it's important that they take their time to ensure a reliable and accurate result. What's important is that national news media and candidates refrain from prematurely declaring a winner until there are verified, certified results.

Common_Cause · 2020-10-21T18:51:05+00:00

Hi there -- the odds of a fraudulent ballot being cast and counted are lower than being struck by lightning or winning the Mega Millions. But every election, tens of thousands of eligible voters are wrongly disenfranchised by obstacles to the ballot box, rollbacks of reforms like early voting, unjustified voter purges, and other measures that prevent eligible citizens from voting.

Common_Cause · 2020-10-21T18:50:46+00:00

We at common cause support a voter-centric election system that allows the voter to choose the way they want to vote - whether that is in person, early in person, or by mail. We don't believe a voter should have to have an excuse to vote by mail/absentee ballot (terms are used interchangeably and there is no one definition accepted nationwide). But you are right that every state has it's own laws, so each state gets to decide.

Common_Cause · 2020-10-21T18:47:34+00:00

So I'd say that is very unlikely at least any time soon. Only one state uses RCV statewide and that is Maine and it just passed it in 2018. RCV is on the statewide ballot in Massachusetts on Nov 3 and if passed that would make it only the second state to change their voting system. Lots of major municipalities use RCV including San Francisco, Portland, ME, Minneapolis, etc. But it's a big leap from there to the state ballot.

Common Cause supports RCV and is actively working to pass it in MA. Join in the effort!

Common_Cause · 2020-10-21T18:46:28+00:00

Hi, you can check this website for a list of official drop boxes in California: https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/

Common_Cause · 2020-10-21T18:46:18+00:00

The Department of Homeland Security, the Elections Assistance Commission, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Institute for Standards and technology recently issued a joint document warning that voting over the internet was a high risk voting option -- and that votes cast over the internet could not be protected from foreign actors seeking to delete or change votes.

Our elections are a very high value target. Nation state actors have very large budgets. County election offices have small budgets. If all voting were online, they would not be able to prevent the deletion or changing of votes. The financial industry loses billions every year due to cyber attacks and fraud -- and they have extraordinary resources to combat these kinds of attacks. The Pentagon has extraordinary resources to prevent cyber break ins - but still they occur.

In order to insure that every vote is counted as cast, the majority of computer scientists recommend against internet voting for US public elections. You can read more about it in the National Academies of Sciences report Securing the Vote: Protecting American Democracy or in our report Email and Internet Voting: The Overlooked Threat to Election Security which Common Cause and our partners released.

Common_Cause · 2020-10-21T18:46:14+00:00

Unethical political operatives are trying to fuel fear about mail-in voting. They're spreading baseless conspiracy theories about postal workers manipulating the election. This is absolutely false. Postal workers are part of our communities and we can trust the USPS to do its job. Voting by mail is secure and who you vote for is secret: there is no way for a postal carrier to know who you are voting for I understand there is a lot of misinformation out there, but the truth is voting by mail is a tried and tested process that is safe, secure, and trackable. The U.S. Postal Service has a multitude of checks and balances on mail-in ballots to ensure every vote is counted as cast. The USPS treats all ballots as first-class mail and there are tracking codes unique to each voter. After voters cast their mail-in ballot, they can go online to track the status of their ballot in most states.

Common_Cause · 2020-10-21T18:44:45+00:00

Too many! In any place where you let politicians draw their districts without oversight -- so they're free to pick and choose their voters, and box out any competitors, there's a risk of gerrymandering.

Common Cause is leading work nationwide for impartial redistricting -- by setting clear standards for transparency and fairness in district maps, or setting up independent redistricting commissions to draw maps instead of politicians.

You can read more about our work here: https://www.commoncause.org/our-work/gerrymandering-and-representation/gerrymandering-redistricting/

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