Benton Institute for Broadband & Society - Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

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

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

Teaser:

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

Source:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Author:

Kevin Taglang

Grace Tepper

Send date:

Tue, 09/12/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 9/11/2023

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

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/blog/visions-digital-equity-principles

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:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Author:

Adrianne Furniss

Send date:

Tue, 08/01/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 7/31/2023

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

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

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

Teaser:

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

Source:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Author:

John Horrigan

Send date:

Wed, 06/28/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 6/27/2023

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Tue, 06/27/2023

Coverage Type:

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:

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

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

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Mon, 06/26/2023

Coverage Type:

Press Release

Digital Divide

Federal Agency

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Federal Broadband Programs

Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Level of Government

Federal

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

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

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:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Author:

John Horrigan

Brian Whitacre

Hernan Galperin

Send date:

Tue, 05/02/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 5/1/2023

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Tue, 05/02/2023

Coverage Type:

Research

Digital Equity/Digital Inclusion

Digital Divide

Federal Agency

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

Level of Government

Federal

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

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

Teaser:

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

Source:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Author:

Brian Whitacre

John Horrigan

Alejandro Alvarado Rojas

Hernan Galperin

Send date:

Fri, 03/17/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 3/16/2023

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Fri, 03/17/2023

Coverage Type:

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

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

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:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Author:

Kevin Taglang

Send date:

Fri, 01/20/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 1/19/2023

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Thu, 01/19/2023

Coverage Type:

Analysis

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

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

Teaser:

Broadband Benefit Programs are Helping to Close the Digital Divide.

Source:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Author:

John Horrigan

Send date:

Tue, 11/29/2022

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 11/28/2022

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Tue, 11/29/2022

Coverage Type:

Research

FCC Releases New National Broadband Maps

benton — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 15:10:06 +0000

The Federal Communications Commission released a pre-production draft of its new National Broadband Map. The map will display specific location-level information about broadband services available throughout the country – a significant step forward from the census block level data previously collected. This release of the draft map kicks off the public challenge processes that will play a critical role in improving the accuracy of the map. An accurate map is an important resource for targeting funding and other efforts to bring broadband to unserved and underserved communities. The public will be able to view the maps at broadbandmap.fcc.gov and search for their address to see information about the fixed and mobile services that internet providers report are available there. If the fixed internet services shown are not available at the user’s location, they may file a challenge with the FCC directly through the map interface to correct the information. Map users will also be able correct information about their location and add their location to the map if it is missing. The draft map will also allow users to view the mobile wireless coverage reported by cellular service providers.

The FCC also announced the launch of an updated version of the FCC Speed Test App that will enable users to quickly compare the performance and coverage of their mobile networks to that reported by their provider. The app allows users to submit their mobile speed test data in support of a challenge to a wireless service provider’s claimed coverage. New users can download the FCC Speed Test App in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Existing app users should update the app to gain these new features.

Benton Content:

https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-releases-new-national-broadband-maps

Teaser:

A pre-production draft of the FCC's new National Broadband Map

Source:

Federal Communications Commission

Send date:

Mon, 11/21/2022

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 11/18/2022

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Fri, 11/18/2022

Coverage Type:

Public Notice

Digital Divide

Federal Agency

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Broadband Programs

Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program

Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability (DATA) Act

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Level of Government

Federal

Broadband Mapping By and For Communities

benton — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 16:15:25 +0000

On Monday, September 26, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society Director of Research and Fellowships Dr. Revati Prasad hosted an online panel discussion, From the Ground Up: Broadband Mapping By and for Communities, on how communities and states are collecting data on local broadband availability as the Federal Communications Commission rolls out the Broadband Data Collection (BDC) program. The panel was moderated by Dustin Loup, the Program Manager at the National Broadband Mapping Coalition, the event's co-sponsor. He framed the discussion by highlighting that inaccurate broadband deployment data has not only overestimated the percentage of U.S. households with access to broadband, it has also prevented some communities from being eligible for federal and/or state programs that subsidize broadband network buildout. Read what the panel had to say at the link below.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/blog/broadband-mapping-and-communities

Teaser:

Recapping From the Ground Up: Broadband Mapping By and For Communities

Source:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Author:

Kevin Taglang

Send date:

Mon, 10/03/2022

Daily Digest: