USC, CETF and Pew Collaborate on Groundbreaking Research to Expand Affordable Broadband

In the first-of-its-kind collaboration, nationally-recognized researchers from the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, in partnership with the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) and with support from The Pew Charitable Trusts, will identify effective and sustainable strategies for bringing affordable Internet to all Americans. The researchers will receive guidance from an Expert Advisory Panel whose members include highly respected leaders in government, academia, foundations and non-profit and consumer-focused organizations, many of whom have been working on Digital Equity for two decades or more. The goal of the partnership is to measure the effectiveness of various broadband affordability models. Among the models to be reviewed are direct subsidy vouchers to qualified consumers, subsidies issued through Internet Service Providers (ISPs), ISP financial commitments secured through public benefit agreements with regulators and financial commitments as part of IT vendor negotiations with public agencies. François Bar and Hernán Galperin, Professors of Communication at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, are leading the research team. The full Expert Advisory Panel can be found here.