Benton Institute for Broadband & Society - John Horrigan

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

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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

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.

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Benton Original Content

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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?”

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Author:

Brian Whitacre

Hernan Galperin

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Tue, 05/02/2023

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Daily Digest 5/1/2023

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Tue, 05/02/2023

Coverage Type:

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

Adoption

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Legislation

Level of Government

Federal

Marginalized Populations

Low-income

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

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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.

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

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Author:

Brian Whitacre

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

Alejandro Alvarado Rojas

Hernan Galperin

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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

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.]

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Broadband Benefit Programs are Helping to Close the Digital Divide.

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Tue, 11/29/2022

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Daily Digest 11/28/2022

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Tue, 11/29/2022

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https://www.benton.org/blog/affordable-connectivity-plan-enrollment-and-digital-…

Affordable Connectivity Plan Enrollment and Digital Equity Planning

benton — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 11:30:42 +0000

If the federal government’s investments in broadband connectivity are to be effective, different programmatic pieces must work together. Broadband infrastructure funds are necessary to ensuring universal access, but not sufficient to achieve full digital equity. Equitable broadband adoption depends on people having the financial means to maintain service, which the Affordable Connectivity Plan (ACP) facilitates, as well as access to wrap-around digital inclusion services (such as tech support and skills training). Effective coordination between infrastructure and digital equity investments can ensure that people subscribe to new networks that the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program funds. ACP enrollment data offers clues as to how well a community is positioned to take advantage of funds to promote digital equity. Abysmal ACP enrollment levels may indicate a capacity deficit; a community may have a dearth of institutions that can make people aware of ACP benefits and aid in enrollment. Strong ACP enrollment invites exploring why. Are particular places doing outreach that might explain high enrollment levels? If so, state policymakers would be wise to consult with digital inclusion advocates in these areas (as BEAD planning requires) and explore whether initiatives in high-enrollment areas might be replicated elsewhere. Understanding the geography of ACP adoption can therefore help states more effectively prioritize resources for digital equity. If, for instance, Digital Equity Act (DEA) funds will provide grants to entities providing digital inclusion services in cities and communities, wouldn’t it help to know which places have the greatest need? Patterns of ACP enrollment help answer that question.

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Benton Original Content

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Examining Affordable Connectivity Program enrollment can help target resources to places with the most need

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Community Anchor Institutions

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Thu, 06/16/2022

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Daily Digest 6/15/2022

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Thu, 06/16/2022

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Analysis

https://www.benton.org/blog/three-data-points-help-plan-infrastructure-investmen…

Three Data Points to Help Plan for Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Broadband Funding

benton — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 17:16:15 +0000

As policymakers begin to plan how to use Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funds to increase broadband connectivity, there are three important data points from two recent surveys to keep in mind:

Some 32% of households are subscription vulnerable, that is, they struggle to maintain service and have a very difficult time affording service.
Only 18% of cellphone-only respondents were “very satisfied” with their online access for activities such as school or work, activities that moved online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some 35% of households with no internet connectivity were largely unable to use outside resources (e.g., friends or community organizations) for “proxy” internet use during the pandemic.

These data points offer “do’s” and “don’ts” for broadband planners and other decisionmakers:

Do not think that getting people online is a one-time transaction; prepare for the long-term to provide resources to keep people online.
Do not expect those relying only on smartphones to effectively engage online with educational or health resources; have laptop or tablet computer distribution programs in place.
Do not underestimate the challenge, given how many low-income people have very limited internet experience; prepare to provide them with one-on-one help.

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Benton Original Content

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Subscription vulnerability is a big deal

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Wed, 04/06/2022

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Daily Digest 4/5/2022

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Tue, 04/05/2022

Coverage Type:

Coronavirus and Connectivity

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It is Time to Reimagine Lifeline

benton — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 12:31:49 +0000

Low-income households are spending too much on connectivity. Prior to the pandemic, the Federal Communications Commission’s Lifeline program supported mainly wireless communication services for low-income households; its $9.25/month subsidy resulting in service plans that restricted voice and data usage. To address Americans’ online connectivity needs during the pandemic, Congress directed the FCC to launch the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program—a historic expansion of financial support for universal service. With the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, EBB has transitioned to a longer-term Affordable Connectivity Program, a $30-per-month service subsidy for qualifying households. The Affordable Connectivity Program offers the opportunity to take a fresh look at policies to promote online access for low-income people in the United States. In Reimagining Lifeline: Universal Service, Affordability, and Connectivity, published by the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, I examine data about the tools typical American households have for accessing the internet and how affordable they are, and explore the administrative journey of Lifeline, which is all the more significant because the Universal Service Administrative Company, which administers the Lifeline program, will also administer the Affordable Connectivity Program.

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https://www.benton.org/blog/it-time-reimagine-lifeline

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The new Affordable Connectivity Program, coupled with Lifeline, has the potential to deliver more equitable connectivity solutions to low-income households.

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Tue, 02/22/2022

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Daily Digest 2/18/2022

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Tue, 02/22/2022

Coverage Type:

Competition/Antitrust

Lifeline/Low-Income Consumers

Universal Service Fund

Wireless Telecommunications

Wireless Internet

Affordability and the Digital Divide

benton — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 16:09:15 +0000

Understanding affordability of internet service and its role in adoption are crucial for developing solutions to close the digital divide.The goals of this study were first to understand the barriers to connectivity and efficacy of low-cost internet service options; and second, to use the findings to inform digital inclusion policies, advocacy efforts, and other initiatives that aim to drive digital equity. The findings were informed by a national survey on broadband adoption among low- and lower-middle income households.

7 million households whose annual incomes are $50,000 or less have home high-speed service due to free or discount offers;
40% said they cannot afford to pay anything for a home internet high-speed service subscription;
46% said it is "very" or "somewhat” difficult to build their monthly internet bill into their budget;
62% would require significant cost relief (relative to market prices) to have broadband service at home;
25% said they heard of free or discount internet offers and 23% heard of the Emergency Broadband Benefit;
28% of those who heard of either discount program (in above bullet) found it difficult to sign up; and
37% of households said they could not afford any more than $100 for a computer.

[This survey was funded by the Ballmer Group and Microsoft. John Horrigan is a Benton Senior Fellow.]

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https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5aa8af1fc3c16a54bcbb0415/t/61ad7722de5626…

Teaser:

A National Survey of Low- and Lower-Middle Income Households

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EveryoneOn

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Send date:

Wed, 12/08/2021

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Daily Digest 12/7/2021

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Tue, 12/07/2021

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https://www.benton.org/blog/evolving-level-service

An Evolving Level of Service

benton — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 12:11:49 +0000

How will the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act impact universal service policy and, specifically, the Lifeline program? The new law sets up a transition from the Emergency Broadband Benefit, a program that is only six months old, to the new, more permanent Affordable Connectivity Program. If fashioned to work in conjunction with Lifeline (used mainly for wireless phone service), low-income consumers could well have access to a level of digital connectivity most in the US depend on every day. Although universal service has traditionally meant telephone service—first traditional wireline and then wireless telephony, in 2016, the Federal Communications Commission explicitly said that “broadband has evolved into the essential communications medium of the digital economy.” Today, according to the Pew Research Center, 85% of Americans have a smartphone. And smartphone access goes hand-in-hand with wireline broadband subscriptions at home for most Americans. The norm for internet access is using Wi-Fi at home off of a wireline subscription for many data-intensive applications, thereby conserving data allotments in mobile broadband plans for use on-the-go.

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

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Benton Original Content

Teaser:

How Lifeline and the New Affordable Connectivity Program Can Deliver the Broadband Low-Income Households Need

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Send date:

Wed, 12/01/2021

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Daily Digest 11/30/2021

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Publish Date:

Wed, 12/01/2021

Coverage Type:

Lifeline/Low-Income Consumers

Universal Service Fund

Growth in EBB Enrollment since June has been in Large Cities and Places with Low Broadband Adoption

Grace Tepper — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 15:29:16 +0000

Since the Emergency Broadband Benefit launched in May 2021, enrollment has grown steadily. By the end of June, 3.1 million households had enrolled, a figure that rose to 7.4 million by the beginning of November. Analysis of the geography of this growth shows that it was not evenly distributed. South Florida, Detroit, Chicago, and New York City have all seen very strong growth in enrollment since June. In the Los Angeles area, more than 100,000 additional households have signed up since then. At the same time, the general pattern of enrollment indicates that places most in need of the Emergency Broadband Benefit (that is, those with low home broadband adoption rates) have the highest rates of households signing up for the benefit. These findings indicate that demand is strong for programs such as the Affordable Connectivity Program created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, affordability struggles are real, and that outreached and improved eligibility processes can make a difference to participation. Focusing on these administrative details is the challenge for the FCC to meet as it plans the rollout of the Affordable Connectivity Program.

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Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/blog/growth-emergency-broadband-benefit-enrollment-june-h…

Teaser:

Emergency Broadband Benefit enrollment findings indicate that demand is strong for programs such as the Affordable Connectivity Program created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

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