ImpactAlpha
Community finance can close the digital divides federal programs keep leaving open
Digital infrastructure is no different from other public goods that we deem essential, but that aren’t universally provided by the market. Some of the most effective tools for closing these gaps over the long term come from community finance, not one-off federal grants. Connect Humanity was created for this purpose.
Private equity won’t close the digital divide — I know, I’ve tried.
Private equity funding has been flooding into broadband, partly drawn by the sweetener of $42 billion in federal funding from the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program. Broadband deployment is a high-cost business, and most internet service providers need outside financing to grow. But when we go looking, private equity is increasingly our only option.