Pew

For states to meet the goal of completing all infrastructure projects by 2030, expansion of the broadband workforce is critical. Worker availability, wages and competition, and data limitations present barriers to growing the workforce.

States continue to make headway on the implementation of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, a $42 billion federal initiative to connect all Americans to high-speed internet.

As today’s parents navigate the challenges of raising a child, many are turning to online spaces where fellow parents share their experiences. One such space is the r/Parenting community on Reddit. It is the largest community for parents on the site, with more than 8 million members as of November 2025. To better understand the discussions about parenting that take place online, we examined six months of user submissions and comments on the r/Parenting subreddit. We also conducted a survey of U.S.

This brief examines how place-based factors—such as education levels, social vulnerability, regional economic strength, and measures of income inequality—influence broadband affordability. These measures reinforce that income is not the only factor policymakers should consider when seeking to understand broadband affordability and adoption challenges.