Connect Humanity
Alt Funding Field Guide
This publication that sets out a new financial logic for sustaining digital adoption programs in the United States, arguing that digital adoption programs are essential services that create measurable economic value that benefits a range of sectors.
“We’re not stopping till everyone can connect” — East Carroll’s fight for better internet continues
May 8 was supposed to be a ribbon cutting. Delta Interfaith—a church-based community organizing group—had spent months planning an event to mark fiber reaching Lake Providence, the main town in East Carroll Parish. Jonathan Chambers, CEO at rural operator Conexon Connect, was due to come with a schedule in hand for building into neighborhoods. Veneeth Iyengar, head of Louisiana’s broadband office would be there too.
Health, Housing, Small Business, Climate. Why Not Broadband?
Connect Humanity recently announced we are on track to become a Communicty Development Financial Institution. What does that mean, and why does it matter? The digital divide is a financing challenge not a technical one. 30 million Americans are still out of reach of broadband because their communities—typically rural communities, tribal lands, and low-income neighborhoods—don’t fit the risk-return profile traditional investors look for.
Data centers are coming. Here’s how communities can negotiate for local benefit.
Across the country developers are seeking new areas to build AI data centers. The scale is unprecedented, with the Top Four AI companies — Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta — and other developers pouring billions into facilities with footprints as large as 70 football fields. As these projects proliferate, so does public pushback. Communities nationwide are organizing to resist data centers out of fear that their harms will eclipse any benefits.
8 reasons why BEAD is the new floor, not the finish line
When the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program was signed into law promising to deliver “Internet for All,” we believed it wouldn’t be enough to connect each and every community. As broadband offices across the country rose to the challenge, we were ready to be proved wrong. But in June, the federal government changed the rules—giving states 90 days to cut costs and redo their plans.
To sustain digital adoption programs, we need to look beyond grant funding
A wave of funding cuts risks digital skills training, device access, and navigator programs that help unconnected Americans get online and meaningfully use the internet. Meeting this challenge will take creativity and cross-sector partnerships — but if we succeed, it could power the digital inclusion sector’s next chapter. It’s been a hard year for digital inclusion. The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) has ended. The Digital Equity Act (DEA) funds so many fought for have been cancelled.
Investment capital for community-focused broadband projects
At Connect Humanity, we’ve long understood capital as the missing puzzle piece in the effort to close the digital divide. Without the right financing, even the most promising broadband projects can stall. That’s why I’m excited to share that we now have a new set of targeted funds available to invest in community-focused broadband infrastructure.
Fiber-first remains the right choice for America
The future of America’s broadband is at a crossroads. Commerce Secretary Lutnick recently stated that the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program is in “dire need of a readjustment.” With his call for a “tech-neutral” approach, all signs point to a shift away from fiber and towards satellite.
Broadband Coalition Launches Plan to Bridge the Digital Divide and Expand Opportunity in Rio Grande Valley
The Rio Grande Valley Broadband Coalition unveiled the RGV Broadband and Digital Opportunity Plan, a bold initiative to ensure every home, business, and community anchor institution in the region has access to affordable, reliable high-speed internet. Much of the RGV still lacks reliable internet access, holding the region back in a world that increasingly depends on digital tools. The RGV Broadband and Digital Opportunity Plan is a roadmap to change that, focusing on: