Today, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society released a new resource for any community that wants to answer the question: “How are Affordable Connectivity Program sign-ups going?” The Benton Institute’s ACP Performance Tool can help evaluate, at the community level, enrollment in the Federal Communications Commission program that makes broadband service more affordable for low-income households.

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society Executive Director Adrianne B. Furniss said, "The Benton Institute is committed to supporting researchers who examine broadband access, adoption, and application, especially when this research focuses on historically marginalized communities. We are thrilled to share this new resource with communities and policymakers around the nation working to connect some of our most vulnerable neighbors. We hope this tool will be used to make more people aware of ACP and its vital importance in closing the digital divide and, importantly, help communities target efforts to increase enrollment."

Benton Senior Fellow John Horrigan, Oklahoma State University Professor Brian Whitacre, and University of Southern California Associate Professor Hernan Galperin developed a statistical model that explains 63 percent of the variation in ACP enrollment across more than 25,000 U.S. 5-digit zip codes. The ACP Performance Tool returns zip code-level results showing two important numbers: 1) how many households have signed up for ACP; and 2) the expected number of households to enroll in the program. The difference between actual ACP enrollment and expected enrollment is a measure of performance.

"The ACP Performance Tool will enable communities to better understand where ACP enrollment exceeds expectations and where it does not," said Horrigan. "That will help decision makers target outreach more precisely in areas with the greatest need." 

“This tool allows us to move beyond just looking at the number of people signed up for ACP and instead ask: Is that good or bad?” said Whitacre. “It will be useful for recipients of the new ACP Outreach grants to understand which areas in their state are over- or under-performing—and why.”

“Accurate data is essential for policymakers and community organizations working to broaden the reach of the ACP program,” said Galperin. “The new tool will help identify and direct resources to the areas in most need.”

The Benton Institute’s ACP Performance Tool can be found online at www.benton.org/acp_tool and is available free of charge. Learn more about the tool at https://www.benton.org/blog/benton-institute-acp-performance-tool

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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