Lessons and Recommendations for Effective Affordability Outreach

People are more likely to believe and act on information delivered by a “trusted messenger”—this was the rationale behind a federal government grant program to promote awareness and increase participation in the Affordable Connectivity Program. The Federal Communications Commission established the Affordable Connectivity Program Outreach Grant Program in August 2022, targeting low-income households, underserved populations, rural and tribal populations, and other communities with low ACP participation rates. Eligible applicants, including government and non-government entities, could compete for awards in four sub-programs. Grantees were to share information about and assist eligible households in applying for the ACP benefit. Research evaluating the effectiveness and efficacy of the ACP has primarily addressed topics such as eligibility and enrollment rates, impacts on broadband adoption, and benefits to enrolled households. Examining the experiences of outreach grantees adds to what we know about how to maximize enrollment in affordable broadband programs, so that benefits materialize across the greatest number of people and communities. To this end, Hanim Astuti conducted a qualitative interview study of ACP Outreach Grant recipients. The lessons and recommendations we present here draw on her interviews with 24 study participants representing 20 awardee organizations based in 16 states.