In an era where most people take mobile broadband technology for granted, one out of four Fresno County households lack any internet access whatsoever – not even a smartphone. It’s indicative of a “digital divide” that puts low-income and rural households at an economic and educational disadvantage relative to residents who have ready access to up-to-date internet technology. Nationwide, about 17 million households – or 14% of U.S. households – have no internet access. In Fresno County, it’s more than 73,600 households — roughly 25 percent. The Federal Communications Commission, through its Connect America Fund Phase II auctions, is spending $13.5 million over the next 10 years to provide broadband service to about 5,600 rural homes and businesses in Fresno, Kings, Madera, Merced and Tulare counties. In Fresno County, the FCC’s investment of about $4.1 million will cover about 1,800 homes and businesses – but that’s a relative drop in the bucket among the estimated 73,600 households that lack internet access in the county.

A soft launch of the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier begins Friday, December 20, 2019 in California, Oregon, and Texas. Unlike all other states, territories, and the District of Columbia, these three states operate their own comprehensive systems, in place of the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD). As a result, the Lifeline program continues to rely on these states’ systems for eliminating duplicative Lifeline support. Similarly, each of these states has its own system in place to determine subscriber eligibility for the federal Lifeline program in addition to its own state-based low-income discount program.

The Federal Trade Commission has granted final approval to a settlement with the former CEO of Cambridge Analytica, LLC and an app developer who worked with the company to resolve allegations they used deceptive tactics to collect personal information from tens of millions of Facebook users for voter profiling and targeting. As part of the settlement, app developer Aleksandr Kogan and Cambridge Analytica CEO Alexander Nix are prohibited from making false or deceptive statements regarding the extent to which they collect, use, share, or sell personal information, as well as the purposes for which they collect, use, share, or sell such information. In addition, they are required to delete or destroy any personal information collected from consumers via the GSRApp and any related work product that originated from the data.

How will 2020 – the first online census – offer new challenges? Historically, the census has always been completed using paper forms. But in 2020, the census will be conducted primarily online for the first time. While there will still be options to respond with a paper form or via phone, most homes will receive an invitation to complete the census online. While an online census could cut costs, it also has serious implications for hard to count communities, who are often less likely to have reliable internet access and/or digital literacy skills. With new emphasis on online census participation, vulnerable populations are perhaps more at risk than ever of being undercounted, which could result in underrepresentation when districts are drawn and underallocation of resources and services.

What can local governments do to encourage online responses? Local governments are well positioned to work with stakeholders and implement programs to encourage online census responses. Local leaders should make a point of engaging with groups that are already doing work to address digital access and literacy, such as libraries. Organizations such as these often have resources in place to help, and are engaged with communities that would most benefit. Municipalities can consider working with internet service providers to make public internet access temporarily available to help individuals respond to the census online. Some nonprofits are already working to make hotspots available for this purpose.  Local governments can also implement programs to make public devices, or “kiosks,” available for online census participation. Deploying internet-connected kiosks in public places across the community can help remove barriers to participating in the census online, such as access to a device or a home internet connection. Public kiosks also make it easy for people to complete the census in places that they already spend time, such as in line at the post office or in the library.  Many local governments have designed creative kiosk programs in efforts to make online census participation more accessible.