Benton Institute for Broadband & Society - Brian Whitacre

Author:

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

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Agency

Affordable Connectivity Program (was Emergency Broadband Benefit Program)

Gov performance

Internet/Broadband

Data & Mapping

Adoption

Legislation

Level of Government

Federal

Low-income

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

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:

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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https://www.benton.org/blog/providing-free-and-affordable-broadband-all-illinois

Providing Free and Affordable Broadband for All in Illinois

benton — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 12:33:34 +0000

In order to achieve the goal of universal broadband for everyone in Illinois, broadband must be available and affordable. However, home broadband service is out of reach for many low-income households in Illinois that are unable to afford subscriptions. Therefore, efforts to promote universal broadband should include programs that offer access to affordable broadband service, as well as access to low-cost digital devices and digital literacy training, which have been highlighted as necessary to promote digital inclusion and meaningful broadband adoption. In June 2020, the Illinois General Assembly directed the Illinois Broadband Advisory Council to study various questions related to broadband access and affordability, including cost estimates for:

Universal broadband access where existing broadband infrastructure is insufficient,
Universal free or affordable broadband access for all residents, and
Free or affordable broadband access for those in poverty.

In Universal Broadband in Illinois: Studying the Costs of Providing Free and Affordable Service for All Residents, we present findings from our study on behalf of the Illinois Broadband Advisory Council of technology and internet adoption in Illinois and includes cost estimates for providing free broadband access as well as the alternative goal of providing affordable broadband access to all residents in the State, including in areas with high poverty levels.

[John B. Horrigan is a Senior Fellow at the Technology Policy Institute and a consultant to the Urban Libraries Council. Brian Whitacre is a Professor and Jean & Patsy Neustadt Chair in the department of Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University. Colin Rhinesmith is an Associate Professor and Director of the Community Informatics Lab in the Simmons University School of Library and Information Science. He is also the Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Community Informatics.]

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

Teaser:

The costs of ensuring affordable broadband access and service to everyone in Illinois

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Author:

Colin Rhinesmith

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Thu, 02/04/2021

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Daily Digest 2/3/2021

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Thu, 02/04/2021

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Infrastructure

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308596124000740

An unexpected digital divide? A look at internet speeds and socioeconomic groups

Grace Tepper — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 15:52:27 +0000

As societies and economies continue to digitize, the need to understand the digital divide beyond binary availability or adoption metrics is increasing. Understanding the quality and performance of home internet—measured by internet speeds—among different socioeconomic groups contributes to the complex digital equity landscape at a time when all U.S. states and territories are completing digital equity plans. Using 2021 speed test data from Ookla, this study conducts spatial regressions at the census tract level to find that most of the sociodemographic factors associated with lower home internet adoption rates (e.g., rural, poor, older) remain when looking at actual internet speeds. However, an unexpected finding—supported by emerging research—that White non-Hispanic residents are using the internet at slower speeds compared to the two largest minority groups of Blacks and Hispanics suggests a need to potentially reassess the design of digital equity programs and policy interventions.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

As societies and economies continue to digitize, the need to understand the digital divide beyond binary availability or adoption metrics is increasing.

Source:

Telecommunications Policy

Author:

Roberto Gallardo

Send date:

Thu, 04/25/2024

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 4/24/2024

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Wed, 04/24/2024

Coverage Type:

Digital Equity/Digital Inclusion

https://dailyyonder.com/analysis-rural-families-need-broadband-subsidy-program-m…

Rural Families Need Broadband Subsidy Program More but Use It Less

benton — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 17:52:10 +0000

While the future of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) remains uncertain, it is worth reviewing how the program fared in rural America. Home broadband adoption rates in rural areas have historically been 5-10 percentage points lower than those in urban locations. This is due partly to lower internet availability but also higher monthly costs in rural geographies. So, were rural households, with lower broadband adoption rates and higher monthly bills more likely to embrace the program? The short answer is no. Using county-level data on ACP subscribers for each month of the program and estimates of the number of eligible households in each county, it shows that rural households were far less likely to participate than urban households. Even more tellingly, the gap grew dramatically over the life of the program. As the ACP began in January 2022, only about 13% of eligible households in the most rural counties signed up. This was well below the 21% rate for eligible urban households. These highly-rural counties saw their participation rate grow to 28% by late 2023, while urban households increased to 46%. So, the rural-urban ACP participation gap increased from 8 percentage points (21% – 13%) to nearly 20 percentage points (46% – 28%) over the roughly two-year life of the program. A smaller gap (and increase) was seen for less rural counties, from 3 percentage points in January 2022 to 9 percentage points by late 2023. Rural areas were disadvantaged by 1) lower numbers of internet providers advertising the program and 2) fewer civic organizations like libraries or non-profits spreading word about the program and helping people sign up.

[Brian Whitacre is a professor and Neustadt Chair in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University. Howard Song is an undergraduate at Oklahoma State.]

Benton Content:

Teaser:

Rural areas were disadvantaged by 1) lower numbers of internet providers advertising the program and 2) fewer civic organizations like libraries or non-profits spreading word about the program and helping people sign up.

Source:

Daily Yonder

Author:

Howard Song

Send date:

Fri, 01/19/2024

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Daily Digest 1/18/2024

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Thu, 01/18/2024

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https://dailyyonder.com/research-and-analysis-rural-internet-subscribers-pay-mor…

Research and Analysis: Rural Internet Subscribers Pay More, New Data Confirms

zwalker@benton.org — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 19:24:44 +0000

Rural advocates have high hopes for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. While it primarily focuses on providing infrastructure to places that are “unserved” and “underserved”, there is also a requirement for states to describe how their plans to award funds will address broadband affordability. Both are important topics for rural residents. The most recent data we have show dramatic rural-urban gaps in both broadband access and adoption. It’s widely recognized that affordability plays a large role in why households remain offline. But because there is no federally collected data on broadband price that includes both rural and urban areas, very few studies have been able to quantify the price differences across these geographies. BroadbandNow (an independent broadband availability website) went through the process of gathering pricing data from over 4,000 terrestrial broadband providers in late 2020 and compiled them into a Zipcode-level database that is publicly available. The data show that in late 2020, the average monthly cost of a 25/3 broadband connection was nearly $13 higher in rural Zip codes.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

Will funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act help close the price gap that keeps some families from using broadband?

Source:

Daily Yonder

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Send date:

Wed, 11/29/2023

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Daily Digest 11/28/2023

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Tue, 11/28/2023

Coverage Type:

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Federal Agency

Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program

Internet/Broadband

Infrastructure

Legislation

Individuals who primarily Reside in a Rural Area

https://www.fastcompany.com/90986558/states-are-about-to-hand-out-federal-fundin…

States will soon dole out federal funding for broadband internet. Not every state is ready for the task

zwalker@benton.org — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 19:17:00 +0000

The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program differs from previous federal broadband programs because it promised to allocate the funding to individual states and allow them to figure out the best way to distribute the funds. Once states receive their broadband funding, they still have to set up a mechanism to request proposals from internet service providers, grade the proposals that come in, and oversee the challenge process for rejected proposals that is likely to follow. Some of the initial 20% of the funding that states receive will be used for those purposes. Only after the awards are made and challenges settled will the providers ramp up their workforces, purchase the relevant equipment, and begin work. So while the broadband funding holds great promise for the 11.2 million locations across the country that do not have access to a high-quality broadband connection, many still have a long wait ahead of them.

[Brian Whitacre is a professor and the Neustadt Chair in the department of agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University]

Benton Content:

Teaser:

States have until December 27 to tell the federal government how they plan to distribute BEAD funds

Source:

Fast Company

Author:

Send date:

Wed, 11/22/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 11/21/2023

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Publish Date:

Tue, 11/21/2023

Coverage Type:

Agenda

Upcoming policy issue

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Federal Agency

Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program

https://www.benton.org/blog/broadband-workforce-survey-shows-challenges-provider…

Level of Government

Federal

State

Broadband Workforce Survey Shows Challenges Providers Expect During BEAD Rollout

benton — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 11:53:00 +0000

A recently released survey of fixed-broadband providers demonstrates their workforce expectations as the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program gains momentum across states. Representatives of 46 broadband providers—including electric cooperatives and fixed-wireless, telephone, and cable companies—completed the survey. These providers typically served between 5,000 and 50,000 customers. Over half of the respondents had between 50 and 200 employees, with another 40 percent having between 10 and 50 employees. Seventy-five percent of survey respondents expected to receive federal or state broadband funding over the next 5-10 years, and most (77%) envision a 10-50% expansion of the geographic size of their network during that time.

[Brian Whitacre is Professor and Jean & Patsy Neustadt Chair in the department of Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University. Brian’s main area of interest is rural economic development, with a focus on the role that technology can play. He also serves as the chair of Oklahoma’s Broadband Expansion Council.]

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

Teaser:

20% of Broadband Workforce Expansion Will be Engineers/Managers

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Author:

Send date:

Tue, 10/31/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 10/30/2023

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Tue, 10/31/2023

Coverage Type:

Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program

https://www.benton.org/blog/acp-enrollment-performance-tool-understanding-factor…

ACP Enrollment Performance Tool: Understanding Factors that Play a Role in ACP Enrollment

Grace Tepper — Mon, 15 May 2023 11:44:02 +0000

Recently we launched the Benton Institute’s Affordable Connectivity Program Enrollment Performance Tool, a free resource that helps communities answer the question: “How are ACP sign-ups going?” Using the tool to search 5-digit zip codes delivers two important numbers: 1) how many households have signed up for ACP and 2) the expected number of households enrolled. Comparing expected enrollment to actual enrollment is a measure of performance. In this article, our goal is to help readers better understand the tool’s inner workings and what that means for policymakers. The ACP Enrollment Performance Tool rests on a statistical model that captures individual and community-wide circumstances to explain ACP enrollment at the 5-digit zip code level. The inclusion of community-wide characteristics adds significantly to the tool’s predictive power and offers a more nuanced view of what influences ACP enrollment levels. If ACP enrollment is cast only as an individual decision, then explaining it is relatively simple. The government determines who is eligible, these households demonstrate that they qualify, and then decide whether to undertake the effort to enroll. The reality is much more complex. Many potentially eligible households are unaware of the ACP, a significant number encounter frictions in enrolling, and some harbor suspicions about whether the benefit is “too good to be true.” The availability of trusted information and intermediaries can help smooth the enrollment process, and a household’s community can be a conduit for such trusted information.

[John B. 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. Brian Whitacre is Professor and Neustadt Chair in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University, where he studies the role of technology in rural economic development. Hernan Galperin is Associate Professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication where he studies Internet policy and social inequality.]

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

Teaser:

How to better understand the Affordable Connectivity Program Enrollment Performance Tool's inner workings and what that means for policymakers.

Source:

Author:

Community Anchor Institutions

Herman Galperin

Send date:

Mon, 05/15/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 5/12/2023

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

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Publish Date:

Mon, 05/15/2023

Coverage Type:

Analysis

Digital Equity/Digital Inclusion

Affordable Connectivity Program (was Emergency Broadband Benefit Program)

Internet/Broadband

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18wELBOA41k3BUpVUmoLAttJq7ZiuK04_/view?export=do…

Low-income

Rural Communities & Digital Device Ownership

benton — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 22:46:59 +0000

The purpose of this brief is to raise awareness of the difficulties rural communities face when trying to address the device ownership issue. Rural areas are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to providing and supporting device ownership. This is a crucial piece of the internet use and digital equity puzzle. These rural-oriented difficulties are broken into three categories summarized as the “Three S’s:” Status Quo, Supply, and Support.

Status Quo (Socio-Demographics): Higher rates of households with no computers in rural areas right now. Rural demographics (lower income, more elderly) less likely to embrace
computers.
Supply: Fewer refurbishers and businesses able to donate used devices. Fewer providers offering low-cost devices as part of the Affordable Connectivity Program.
Support: Fewer nonprofits to gather devices, distribute them, and help with their use. Fewer tech-savvy librarians and digital inclusion organizations. Fewer repair-oriented businesses.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

Barriers & Opportunities

Source:

Digitunity

Author: