The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society launched four new research projects to investigate the complex challenges that stand in the way of universal, affordable, and equitable broadband access.
These fellows are asking essential questions about how climate risk, accountability mechanisms, and our institutions and policies can impact people’s ability to access and use the internet.
Dr. Jesse Andrews, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will examine the relationship between inland flood risk and broadband access among households in vulnerable communities in Nebraska. By integrating device measurements, survey responses, and spatial analysis of flood risk, Dr. Andrews will illuminate the relationship between broadband infrastructure, environmental hazards, and social vulnerability, contributing to more equitable and resilient broadband deployment strategies.
Dr. Arpit Gupta of the University of California Santa Barbara and his team are addressing issues of broadband data transparency and accountability through the Broadband Querying Tool (BQT), which extracts and analyzes data on broadband availability, speeds, affordability, and adoption at the street-address level. The team’s previous audit of the FCC’s Connect America Fund (CAF) uncovered significant discrepancies: 55% of addresses certified as served remained unserved and 33% of addresses received download speeds below the FCC’s mandated 10 Mbps threshold for CAF-supported locations. Dr. Gupta will expand the use of BQT to examine NTIA’s BEAD and Middle-Mile Grant programs, starting with an analysis of California’s implementation. BQT gives communities, regulators, and researchers the tools to verify broadband claims and ensure that funds are going where they are needed most.
Community anchor institutions (CAIs)—such as public libraries, schools, and nonprofits—are essential to digital equity. But how prepared are they to lead efforts in expanding digital connectivity and competency for their community members? Dr. Yeweon Kim from the University of Maryland will focus on CAIs across Maryland, assessing their strengths and structural barriers in delivering sustainable, community-driven solutions to advance digital inclusion.
Sara Raza from the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School will explore how policy and legal frameworks help—or hinder—efforts to close the broadband health gap, especially in rural areas. Raza will examine broadband as a super social determinant of health, analyze funding streams for healthcare delivery via broadband, and explore the legal and policy barriers that prevent healthcare providers and insurers from expanding access to digital care. In particular, she will analyze how evolving healthcare policies, such as telehealth reimbursement, payment parity, and hospital-at-home policies, impact the use of broadband for delivering healthcare services.