Get Your ACP

We're just a few days from Juneteenth, a holiday that reminds us of the critical connection between communications and equity. June 19 commemorates the day in 1865 when slaves in Texas first learned about the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Cut off from communications, slaves in Texas were deprived news of their freedom for over two and a half years. One hundred and fifty-seven years later, we can still see how lack of access to communications holds back individuals, families, and communities. As Congress found in the new Infrastructure Law, access to affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband is essential to full participation in modern life in the United States. Although these benefits should be broadly enjoyed by all, the digital divide disproportionately affects communities of color, lower-income areas, and rural areas. Affordability is a major barrier to broadband adoption. The good news is that Congress has set aside more than $14 billion to address broadband affordability for low-income households. 

Adrianne B. Furniss is the Executive Director of the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society