Benton Institute for Broadband & Society - Legislation

Federal Communications Commission

Regulatory classification

Legislation

Communications Act of 1934

https://www.benton.org/blog/states-are-relying-federal-affordable-connectivity-p…

States are Relying on the Federal Affordable Connectivity Program to Close the Digital Divide

benton — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 11:25:47 +0000

With the common aim of ensuring that all people and communities have the skills, technology, and capacity needed to reap the full benefits of our digital economy, each of the 50 states is currently drafting a digital equity plan through what one official called “the largest demonstration of participatory democracy that our country has ever seen." The states are tasked with developing long-term objectives for closing the digital divide by addressing the needs of eight "covered populations"—including low-income households. Several states have released their draft digital equity plans and one tool they all rely heavily on for connecting—and keeping connected—low-income households is the Federal Communications Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). However, estimates from the Federal Communications Commission project that funding for the ACP could run out within the next year. Also see:

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

Teaser:

The impact of Affordable Connectivity Program funding on state digital equity plans

Source:

https://www.benton.org/blog/visions-digital-equity-principles

Author:

Kevin Taglang

Grace Tepper

Send date:

Tue, 09/12/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 9/11/2023

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Tue, 09/12/2023

Coverage Type:

Analysis

Visions of Digital Equity Principles

benton — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 11:34:35 +0000

Digital equity—or, digital opportunity, if you prefer—is having a moment. The US is making an unprecedented investment to ensure that individuals and communities have the capacity to fully participate in our society and economy. This is a huge undertaking with momentous implications on the future of the Nation. Each state has been asked to envision how life there can be transformed by achieving digital equity. As part of their digital equity plans, states have the opportunity to illustrate how ubiquitous, affordable connectivity to reliable, high-speed broadband will benefit communities through increased access to health care, education and job training, economic growth, and civic participation. With this extraordinary opportunity before state policymakers and local communities in mind, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society launched the Visions of Digital Equity project to aid both in ensuring that more community voices are heard in crafting visions that increase opportunity for all. Through surveys, community meetings, interviews, conversations, and a collaborative writing process with community contributors, we have arrived at a set of principles to help guide both the process and the resulting visions of digital equity. We hope these principles help the residents in each state evaluate their digital equity plans.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/publications/visions-digital-equity

Teaser:

We’re asking states to articulate what success looks like when we achieve digital opportunity for all.

Source:

https://www.benton.org/blog/affordable-connectivity-program-and-rural-america

Author:

Adrianne Furniss

Send date:

Tue, 08/01/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 7/31/2023

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Tue, 08/01/2023

Coverage Type:

Editorial

The Affordable Connectivity Program and Rural America

benton — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 17:38:37 +0000

Households in rural America are overcoming significant headwinds as they sign up for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) benefit at a higher rate than urban counterparts. Through April 2023, ACP enrollment data shows that: 15% of all rural households have enrolled in ACP and 14% of households in metro or urban areas have enrolled in the benefit. Even this modest difference is striking given the tensions that buffet rural residents as they consider enrolling in ACP. On the one hand, rural areas have characteristics that improve ACP enrollment according to the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society’s Affordable Connectivity Program Enrollment Performance Tool . Nearly half (49%) of rural households qualify for ACP compared with 40% of non-rural ones. This gap is largely because there are more lower income households in rural parts of the country. Some 36% of rural households have annual incomes at or below 200% of the Federal poverty level (FPL) in contrast to the 28% figure for households in non-rural areas. There is a positive correlation between areas with a large share of eligible households and ACP enrollment.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

Teaser:

Some 230,000 more rural households have signed up for ACP than predicted

Source:

Author:

https://internetforall.gov/news-media/biden-harris-administration-announces-stat…

Send date:

Wed, 06/28/2023

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Daily Digest 6/27/2023

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Tue, 06/27/2023

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Analysis

NTIA Announces State Allocations for $42.45 Billion BEAD Program

benton — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 15:47:05 +0000

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has allocated funding to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five territories to deploy affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service to everyone in America. States, Washington (DC), and territories will use funding from the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to administer grant programs within their borders. The BEAD funding will be used to deploy or upgrade broadband networks to ensure that everyone has access to reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet service. Once deployment goals are met, any remaining funding can be used to pursue eligible access-, adoption-, and equity-related uses. States, DC, and territories (“Eligible Entities”) will receive their formal notice of allocation on June 30, 2023. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Eligible Entities have 180 days from the date of that formal notice to submit their Initial Proposals describing how they propose to run their grant programs. Eligible Entities can begin submitting their Initial Proposals starting July 1, 2023. Once NTIA approves an Initial Proposal, which will occur on a rolling basis, Eligible Entities will be permitted to request access to at least 20 percent of their allocated funds.

State	Allocation Amount
Alabama	$1,401,221,901.77
Alaska	$1,017,139,672.42
Arizona	$993,112,231.37
Arkansas	$1,024,303,993.86
California	$1,864,136,508.93
Colorado	$826,522,650.41
Connecticut	$144,180,792.71
Delaware	$107,748,384.66
District of Columbia	$100,694,786.93
Florida	$1,169,947,392.70
Georgia	$1,307,214,371.30
Hawaii	$149,484,493.57
Idaho	$583,256,249.88
Illinois	$1,040,420,751.50
Indiana	$868,109,929.79
Iowa	$415,331,313.00
Kansas	$451,725,998.15
Kentucky	$1,086,172,536.86
Louisiana	$1,355,554,552.94
Maine	$271,977,723.07
Maryland	$267,738,400.71
Massachusetts	$147,422,464.39
Michigan	$1,559,362,479.29
Minnesota	$651,839,368.20
Mississippi	$1,203,561,563.05
Missouri	$1,736,302,708.39
Montana	$628,973,798.59
Nebraska	$405,281,070.41
Nevada	$416,666,229.74
New Hampshire	$196,560,278.97
New Jersey	$263,689,548.65
New Mexico	$675,372,311.86
New York	$664,618,251.49
North Carolina	$1,532,999,481.15
North Dakota	$130,162,815.12
Ohio	$793,688,107.63
Oklahoma	$797,435,691.25
Oregon	$688,914,932.17
Pennsylvania	$1,161,778,272.41
Rhode Island	$108,718,820.75
South Carolina	$551,535,983.05
South Dakota	$207,227,523.92
Tennessee	$813,319,680.22
Texas	$3,312,616,455.45
Utah	$317,399,741.54
Vermont	$228,913,019.08
Virginia	$1,481,489,572.87
Washington	$1,227,742,066.30
West Virginia	$1,210,800,969.85
Wisconsin	$1,055,823,573.71
Wyoming	$347,877,921.27
American Samoa	$37,564,827.53
Guam	$156,831,733.59
Northern Mariana Islands	$80,796,709.02
Puerto Rico	$334,614,151.70
U.S. Virgin Islands	$27,103,240.86

Benton Content:

Teaser:

Biden-Harris Administration Announces State Allocations for $42.45 Billion High-Speed Internet Grant Program as Part of Investing in America Agenda

Source:

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Send date:

Tue, 06/27/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 6/26/2023

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Publish Date:

Mon, 06/26/2023

Coverage Type:

Press Release

Digital Divide

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Federal Broadband Programs

Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

https://www.benton.org/blog/benton-institute-acp-performance-tool

State

The Benton Institute ACP Performance Tool

benton — Tue, 02 May 2023 11:40:28 +0000

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is at an inflection point. Launched in early 2022, ACP provides 17 million households up to $30/month in subsidies to offset the cost of broadband. But the program faces two critical challenges. First, less than a third of eligible households currently participate in the program—mainly because the people who could benefit most from the subsidy are unaware that it exists. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), local governments, and digital equity groups are stepping up efforts to improve ACP awareness and participation. Targeted outreach is needed to inform these households about the ACP and could benefit from analysis of the patterns of ACP enrollment. Second, as successful as the program has been, ACP subsidies are at risk without Congressional action in the coming months. The initial ACP investment is dwindling which could mean the program will have to sunset in the next year. Analysis of enrollment patterns will show policymakers and advocates which places may suffer most from the program’s termination. The Benton Institute’s ACP Performance Tool is a resource for any community that wants to answer the question: “How are ACP sign-ups going?” To answer, search a 5-digit zip code on the tool’s website. The ACP Performance Tool returns results that show two important numbers for the zip code area: 1) how many households have signed up for ACP (from government data) and 2) the expected number of households enrolled.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

Teaser:

The Benton Institute’s ACP Performance Tool is a resource for any community that wants to answer the question: “How are ACP sign-ups going?”

Source:

Author:

Digital Equity/Digital Inclusion

Brian Whitacre

Hernan Galperin

Send date:

Tue, 05/02/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 5/1/2023

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Tue, 05/02/2023

Coverage Type:

Research

Digital Divide

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Broadband Programs

Affordable Connectivity Program (was Emergency Broadband Benefit Program)

Gov performance

Internet/Broadband

Data & Mapping

Affordability/Cost/Price

Adoption

Universal Broadband

Legislation

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

https://www.benton.org/blog/half-acp-eligible-households-still-unaware-program

Marginalized Populations

Low-income

Research

Headlines Specific Topic:

Benton Foundation

Half of ACP-Eligible Households Still Unaware of the Program

benton — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 11:27:12 +0000

After a year of operation, half of all households eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) internet subsidy are unaware of the benefit. A January 2023 survey of low-income households finds that over 50% say they have never heard of the program or do not know anything about it. Although many eligible households are unaware of ACP, the survey points to ways in which policymakers and community leaders can encourage enrollment. First, outreach can make a difference. Some 37% of eligible households that knew little about the program say they would be likely to apply with more information and 31% said they would be likely to apply if they knew whether they qualified. The other part of the picture is digital skills. The survey finds that respondents with high levels of confidence in their digital skills are nearly twice as likely to have successfully signed up for ACP than those with less confidence in their digital skills. Some 26% of those with high levels of digital skills reported that they had successfully enrolled in ACP compared with only 14% of those with low levels of digital skills. The survey also found that, among households that have enrolled in ACP for a fixed home service, most still pay something for internet service. When asked what they pay for internet service after the ACP subsidy, the median figure cited households that had signed up for fixed service was $40 per month. The sum of the ACP subsidy ($30) and the median remaining fee ($40) is in line with the average monthly bill ($75) U.S. households pay for service.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

Teaser:

New Survey Shows that Outreach to Trusted Anchor Institutions and Digital Skills Training can Help

Source:

Author:

Brian Whitacre

https://www.benton.org/blog/understanding-and-driving-enrollment-affordable-conn…

Alejandro Alvarado Rojas

Hernan Galperin

Send date:

Fri, 03/17/2023

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Daily Digest 3/16/2023

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Fri, 03/17/2023

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Op-Ed

Understanding and Driving Enrollment in the Affordable Connectivity Program

dclay@benton.org — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 16:59:03 +0000

Fitting the monthly cost of a broadband subscription into a low-income household budget is difficult, to say the least, because of the costs of competing necessities like lodging, food, and healthcare. These financial pressures—and unexpected expenses—keep too many people in the U.S. from subscribing to home broadband service—or cause them to drop service at times to make ends meet. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress recognized these obstacles for low-income people and created a program—first called the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program—to reduce the monthly costs of connectivity. With passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in November 2021, Congress turned the temporary Emergency Broadband Benefit Program into a longer-term subsidy. Launched in January 2022 with $14.2 billion in funding, the Federal Communications Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a critical component of the ongoing federal investment in broadband adoption. Eligible households receive $30/month (and up to $75/month on Tribal lands) to defray the cost of internet service, as well as up to $100 towards the purchase of a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers. On January 18, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society hosted a panel discussion on ACP enrollment. Drew Garner, the State Broadband Policy Advisor at Common Sense Media, moderated the panel. He began the discussion by noting the three steps low-income households must complete before they begin enjoying ACP benefits: first, they must confirm that their household is eligible to participate in the program; then they must complete an application to be enrolled in ACP; and, finally, they must choose an internet service provider and pick a plan to subscribe to.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

Teaser:

Despite its success, ACP observers estimate that the program will run out of current funding by mid-2024, thus digital equity advocates must convince Congress to fund the program for low-income households.

Source:

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1132

Author:

Kevin Taglang

Send date:

Fri, 01/20/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 1/19/2023

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Publish Date:

Thu, 01/19/2023

Coverage Type:

Analysis

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Utah to Receive Nearly $1 Billion in American Rescue Plan Funds to Increase Access to Affordable, High-Speed Internet

benton — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 15:36:49 +0000

The Department of Treasury approved broadband projects in an additional six states under the American Rescue Plan’s Capital Projects Fund Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Utah. Together, these states will use their funding to connect more than 180,000 homes and businesses to affordable, high-speed internet. A key priority of the Capital Projects Fund program is to make funding available for reliable, affordable broadband infrastructure.

Florida is approved for $248 million for broadband infrastructure, which the state estimates will connect 48,400 households and businesses – representing approximately 10% of locations still lacking high-speed internet access. Florida’s award will fund Florida’s Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP), a competitive grant program designed to expand last mile broadband access to homes and businesses in rural areas of the state. Funding from CPF will help Florida continue to prioritize fiber-optic networks and projects proposing affordable service. The plan submitted to Treasury and being approved today represents 68% of the state’s total allocation under the CPF program. Florida submitted plans for the remainder of their CPF funds and these applications are currently under review by Treasury.
Georgia is approved to receive $250 million for broadband infrastructure, which the state estimates will connect 70,000 households and businesses – representing 15% of locations still lacking high-speed internet access. Georgia’s award will fund the Georgia Capital Projects Fund grant program, a competitive grant program that is designed to fund broadband infrastructure projects that provide service to areas identified by the state to currently lack access to reliable broadband that can meet or exceed 25/3 Mbps, and that adopt practices that support both efficient broadband expansion and community engagement. The plan submitted to Treasury and being approved today represents 96% of the state’s total allocation under the CPF program. Georgia submitted plans for the remainder of their CPF funds and these applications are currently under review by Treasury.
Iowa is approved for $152.2 million for broadband infrastructure, which the state estimates will connect 18,972 households and businesses – representing approximately 16% of locations still lacking high-speed internet access. Iowa’s award will fund the Empower Rural Iowa Broadband Program, a competitive grant program designed to address inequities in access to broadband throughout the state of Iowa. Using a three-step process, the program combines mapping data, input from communities, and applications from service providers. Funding from CPF will help Iowa bring broadband service to areas identified having a critical need for broadband. The plan submitted to Treasury and being approved today represents 100% of the state’s total allocation under the CPF program.
Minnesota is approved for $44 million for broadband infrastructure. Minnesota’s award will fund two additional broadband infrastructure programs: Minnesota’s Line Extension Program, a competitive grant program designed to address the needs of individuals who are located near infrastructure for high-quality broadband service but where the cost of the last mile connection is a barrier; and the Low-Density Pilot Program, a competitive grant program that provides financial resources for new and existing providers to invest in building broadband infrastructure in low-density areas of the state that currently lack high-speed internet. Funding from CPF will help Minnesota continue its efforts to provide reliable internet access to predominately rural locations previously facing cost barriers. In total, Minnesota is using $127 million –70% of their CPF funding –for broadband infrastructure to reach an estimated ~32,000 locations, or ~12% of locations still lacking high-speed internet access in the state. Minnesota submitted plans for the remainder of their CPF funds and these applications are currently under review by Treasury.
Missouri is approved for $196.7 million for broadband infrastructure, which the state estimates will connect 37,979 households and businesses – representing approximately 8% of locations still lacking high-speed internet access. Missouri’s award will fund the Missouri Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program, a competitive grant program designed to fund broadband infrastructure projects in areas that currently lack access to high-speed, reliable broadband. Funding from CPF will help Missouri bring service to areas where broadband infrastructure projects would not be feasible without assistance. The plan submitted to Treasury and being approved today represents 100% of the state’s total allocation under the CPF program.
Utah is approved for $10 million for broadband infrastructure, which the state estimates will connect 3,080 households and businesses – representing approximately 5% of locations still lacking high-speed internet access. Utah’s award will fund the Broadband Infrastructure Gap Networks Grant Program (Gap Networks Grant Program), a competitive grant program designed to address gaps in broadband infrastructure where reliable broadband service is currently unavailable. Funding from CPF will help Utah continue its efforts to bridge the state’s remaining digital divide. The plan submitted to Treasury and being approved today represents 7% of the state’s total allocation under the CPF program. Utah submitted plans for the remainder of their CPF funds and these plans are currently under review by Treasury.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

Together, these states will use their funding to connect more than 180,000 homes and businesses

Source:

Department of the Treasury

Send date:

Fri, 12/02/2022

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 12/1/2022

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Not Available

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Publish Date:

Thu, 12/01/2022

Coverage Type:

Press Release

Federal Broadband Programs

Department of Treasury

Capital Projects Fund

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)

https://www.benton.org/blog/its-no-time-disarm-war-against-digital-divide

State

It’s No Time to Disarm in the War Against the Digital Divide

benton — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 12:43:15 +0000

The pandemic spurred policymakers and community leaders around the country to create programs to connect those without home broadband service or computers. These programs have had an impact. New government data show sharp increases in broadband and computer adoption in the 2019-to-2021 time frame. Initiatives such as the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) have helped address “subscription vulnerability” for low-income households. With progress evident, it is time to extend and build on the ACP and local affordability programs. Recently released data from the American Community Survey shows wireline broadband adoption grew by 4.7 points between 2019 and 2021, more than twice the 2.0 points of growth between 2017 and 2019. This suggests that pandemic-driven initiatives to address home adoption gaps have had an impact. (Read more in Broadband Benefit Programs are Helping to Close the Digital Divide.)

[John B. Horrigan is a Benton Senior Fellow. He is a national expert on technology adoption, digital inclusion, and evaluating the outcomes and impacts of programs designed to promote communications technology adoption and use.]

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

Teaser:

Broadband Benefit Programs are Helping to Close the Digital Divide.

Source:

Author: