States Keep Working Towards Digital Equity

 You’re reading the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society’s Weekly Digest, a recap of the biggest (or most overlooked) broadband stories of the week. The digest is delivered via e-mail each Friday.

Round-Up for the Week of October 13-17, 2025

Despite the federal government shutdown, states across the country are making strides on their own broadband and digital equity initiatives. Four states in particular caught our eye this week.

Massachusetts: Connected & Online

On October 6, the Healey-Driscoll administration and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s (MassTech) Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) launched the new Connected & Online Program. This $23 million initiative plans to distribute approximately 27,000 internet-connected devices—such as laptops, desktops, tablets, assistive technology, and supportive equipment—to eligible organizations across the state.

Eligible applicants to the Connected and Online Program will include municipalities, libraries, health care providers, workforce centers, educational institutions, and nonprofits. Each organization may request a minimum of 30 and a maximum of 500 devices. These devices will be preloaded with security and accessibility software and distributed at no cost to approved applicants.

Connected and Online Program applicants must demonstrate how the supplied devices will be accessible to the public, either through lending programs or on-site use, and how expanded access to devices aligns with the needs of the communities they serve. Applicants must also include a strategy for measuring usage and outcomes and outline a plan for ongoing end-user support and device management.

This application is inclusive of a two-step process:

• Applicants can receive clarifying questions on their draft application by 5:00 PM on Friday, October 31. The review team may ask for clarifications, which applicants can provide by the final deadline.
• Final applications must be submitted by Friday, November 7, 2025, at 5:00 PM EDT. 

Massachusetts launched this program using its Capital Projects Fund (CPF) award. MassTech has previously used Capital Projects funding for the Broadband Infrastructure Gap Networks Grant Program, designed to address gaps in broadband infrastructure, and the Residential Internet Retrofit Program, which funds projects designed to ensure residents of participating affordable housing developments have access to reliable high-speed internet.

New Mexico: Community Connect

The New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) announced its new Community Connect Program on October 2. The program will offer $7 million in state funds to further implement or expand public Wi-Fi in New Mexico communities.

The Community Connect Grant Program will award financial assistance grants to roll out or expand Wi-Fi in public areas such as parks, plazas, and municipal buildings. The grants will target communities with low connectivity and digital inclusion to provide sustainable, place-based solutions that meet community needs. Funding for the Community Connect Grant Program comes from OBAE’s $70 million Connect New Mexico Fund, which was established in 2021 by the legislature through the Connect New Mexico Act.

Eligible applicants for OBAE's program include:

• Municipal, county, and regional governments
• Tribal governments
• State agencies
• Public educational institutions
• Internet service providers (with the support of the target community)

Eligible projects include:

• Projects requiring new construction, renovations, or build-backs to establish wireless internet services.
• Projects that require hardware, software, or professional services to implement access points that can broadcast the service set identifier (SSID) of a wireless network.
• Projects that provide for the maintenance and operation of a public Wi-Fi network for a minimum of three years after project completion.

OBAE will award Community Connect grants to entities that leverage community partnerships among schools, libraries, municipal service providers—like senior centers—and other community anchor institutions (CAIs). Community Connect Grant Program applications will be reviewed and grants will be awarded in the order they are received. Funding for this program expires on June 30, 2026.

The proposed public Wi-Fi projects must take place in New Mexico, and speeds of 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) download/20 Mbps upload are required. The maximum grant per project is $2,499,999, and no matching funds are required.

California: Lifeline Home Broadband Pilot

On April 16, 2025, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) released the "Home Broadband Adoption Report," which found that nearly 1 in 5 California households (19%) with incomes below $20,000 do not subscribe to internet service. Californians who relied on the Federal Communications Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)—a federal broadband subsidy program that supported affordable internet connections for qualifying low-income consumers—have either forgone broadband service or rely on income-qualified, low-cost internet service plans offered by some internet service providers.

To respond to this need, CPUC created the Home Broadband Pilot, a program that will increase the amount of data provided to low-income households through the California LifeLine Program.

California LifeLine currently provides discounted home phone and cell phone services to qualified households and has been around since the 1980s. With this new Home Broadband Pilot, announced on August 28, CPUC aims to help close the broadband gap while preserving support for traditional voice services.

The Home Broadband Pilot is a three-year technology-neutral program. It will allow eligible consumers to apply the California LifeLine subsidy to any internet plan meeting minimum service standards of 100/20 Mbps with 1,280 Gigabit usage per month. Exceptions are allowed for areas where 100/20 Mbps is not feasible as well as for low-cost plans.

The subsidy amounts are:

• $20 subsidy for broadband service.
• $30 for broadband service bundled with a wireline or wireless voice service (bundles must be offered by the same provider).
• Reimbursement for new connections, up to $39 each, one per household per year.

CPUC’s Communication Division Staff will conduct a review of the pilot program within 18 months after launch, and will present their analysis and recommendations within 20 months after launch. If the pilot ends in three years as currently planned, California LifeLine participants will receive at least 30 days’ notice before service is discontinued or service terms become more restrictive.

Texas: Broadband Workforce Grant Program

The "Building the Texas Broadband Workforce Grant Program," created by the Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO) on June 23, is designed to fund eligible organizations that will create or enhance training programs to fully equip individuals with the skills and capabilities to lay, install, or maintain fiber-optic cabling. The program is intended to support federal and state-funded fiber broadband initiatives, as well as ongoing and future private investments focused on expanding broadband connectivity to communities.

Funding for the program has been allocated to BDO through state funding from the Broadband Infrastructure Fund (BIF), which the state allocated $1.5 billion in 2023 to expand access to reliable, high-speed internet connectivity. BDO's new Workforce Grant Program commits up to $25 million from the BIF to establish and expand tuition-free, industry-aligned training programs statewide. Awards will range from $250,000 to $5 million. Grant funding may not exceed four years. The goal is to ensure Texas has a robust and skilled workforce capable of meeting ambitious broadband deployment goals.

Eligible applicants must be located in Texas and may include:

• Political subdivisions of the state, including municipalities, independent school districts, community colleges, technical schools, and special purpose districts;
• Nonprofit entities; and
• Commercial entities.

The program focuses on tuition-free opportunities provided by select organizations, offering industry-recognized credentials, micro-credentials, and postsecondary degrees that pave the way for careers in the broadband sector. Emphasis is placed on programs incorporating work-based learning, such as registered apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships, and paid work experiences. Successful applicants must also demonstrate strong partnerships and industry knowledge to facilitate job placements for trainees. 

Full information about BDO's Building the Texas Broadband Workforce Grant Program can be found here.

Coordinated Efforts

Many of these initiatives were designed to work in tandem with federal investments, especially those created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or to fill gaps created by the sunsetting of crucial programs, like the ACP. These state programs are geared towards providing affordable broadband, supporting community anchor institutions, and preparing the workforce for federal infrastructure funding—smart investments to work with broadband deployment funding to close the digital divide. 

Quick Bits

• States $20 Billion Under Budget for BEAD So Far
• Bipartisan Support Builds for Using Remaining BEAD Funds on a Digital Opportunity Dividend
• Gigi Sohn on the bad state of BEAD and promise of public broadband
• New Street Research: End of ACP a continued drag on cable, broadband market

Weekend Reads

• Large-Screen Computer Ownership: A Call to Action
• North Carolina Digital Skills Standards
• Don’t Look Up: There Are Sensitive Internal Links in the Clear on GEO Satellites
• The Geopolitics of AI: Decoding the New Global Operating System

ICYMI from Benton

• AI Use—and Risk—on the Rise for Students
• Computer Ownership and the Digital Divide
• Hello, it's BEAD Again
• 19 Million Older Adults Lack Broadband

Upcoming Events

Oct 21––A Catalyst for Economic Growth: Why Broadband Adoption Matters (Fiber Broadband Association)

Oct 22––Building Network Infrastructure to Deliver the AI Revolution (Wireless Infrastructure Association)

Oct 22––Securing Broadband: Cybersecurity Strategies for BEAD Subgrantees and Stakeholders (Fiber Broadband Association)

Oct 29––Verizon Policy Breakfast with FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty (Verizon)

Oct 30––43rd Annual Parker Lecture and Awards Ceremony (United Church of Christ Media Justice Ministry)

Feb 3-5––Net Inclusion 2026 (National Digital Inclusion Alliance)

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all people in the U.S. have access to competitive, High-Performance Broadband regardless of where they live or who they are. We believe communication policy - rooted in the values of access, equity, and diversity - has the power to deliver new opportunities and strengthen communities.

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