The Federal Communications Commission granted, in part, a waiver requested by a group of Emergency Connectivity Fund Program stakeholders led by the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition extending the service delivery date to June 30, 2023 for all applicants who applied for Emergency Connectivity Fund support for equipment, other non-recurring services, and recurring services during the first and second application filing windows. The FCC seeks to alleviate administrative burdens, streamline the process for Emergency Connectivity Fund Program participants, and ensure applicants are treated fairly and equitably regardless of when their applications are processed and funding commitment decision letters are issued.

Commenting on the digital divide earlier this month, Vice President Harris said that “one of the most common reasons [is c]ost, the expense of [broadband].” She then praised the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), part of the recently enacted Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, for making so many Americans “eligible to receive a monthly discount on their monthly bill.” In fact, the ACP does more than that. Given the widespread availability of low-income plans and the $30 per month ($75 on tribal lands) plus $9.25 per month from Lifeline, it makes broadband access free for nearly everyone who is eligible. The Administration and the FCC should feel proud of this accomplishment. Still, surveys, price data, and real-world behavior suggested that cost has, over the years, become a smaller contributor to the digital divide. We should figure out the other reasons keeping people from accessing the internet. Ongoing surveys by the Pew Research Center show the share of unconnected people reporting cost as a reason decreasing steadily over the years. The two reasons most commonly reported for not having a home broadband connection are that a “smartphone lets you do everything online that you need to do” and that the respondent is not interested. Even ten months into the pandemic, 71% of non-subscribers reported no interest. Importantly, the share of respondents who report cost as a barrier has been decreasing steadily, from 59% in 2015 to 45% in 2021.

Do current measurement tools suffice in capturing the positive development impact of digital infrastructure and provide a lens through which to assess its potential downside risks? The inquiry focused primarily on payments, identity, and data exchange technologies—which together are commonly referred to as the “digital stack” and recognized as foundational components of any national digital transformation. Major findings include:

1. A fragmented universe of digital indicators makes for an uncertain and complex relationship between digital infrastructure and development outcomes.
2. Overemphasis on the scale of digital services obscures the complexities of the impact on people and markets.
3. Structural and intellectual constraints are mutually reinforcing and limit efforts to develop a more holistic measurement model for digital infrastructure.

Frontier stuck to a promise to roll out its first multi-gigabit service tier in Q1 of 2022, debuting a 2-gig internet offer that is available across its entire fiber footprint. The company plans to make the new service tier available to all of the new locations it builds to as its plan to expand to 10 million locations by the end of 2025 unfolds. The new plan is priced at $149.99 per month. While that’s significantly higher than the cost of similar plans from the likes of AT&T, Ziply Fiber and Google Fiber, which range from $100 to $120, Frontier is throwing in a bunch of extras to sweeten the deal. Among these are a 2-gig router and Wi-Fi extender, voice line and multi-device security at no extra charge. Frontier isn’t the first to debut a multi-gig offer – AT&T, Ziply, Google Fiber and Verizon have all rolled out 2-gig service plans. But Frontier is billing itself as the first to offer its multi-gig service across its entire footprint from day one. Verizon initially only rolled out its 2-gig offer in New York City, while Ziply and AT&T launched their multi-gig offers in 60 and 70 cities, respectively.