Digital Divide

If the five companies using the most broadband bandwidth contribute more to the costs of providing it, they could help address the digital divide. Roslyn Layton, a vice president at Strand Consult, researched four rural broadband providers and found that 75 percent of downstream network traffic comes from five companies: Amazon Prime, Disney+/Hulu, Microsoft Xbox, Netflix and YouTube.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allocates $65 billion to broadband infrastructure spending, with approximately $47 billion of this dedicated to building networks.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) published the proposed service areas of all applications undergoing review for funding through the Broadband Infrastructure Program. Broadband service providers will have 15 days to submit information about the broadband services they offer in any of the proposed service areas. The announcement of proposed service areas will assist the NTIA in targeting federal funds appropriately to areas lacking qualifying broadband service.

The Technology Policy Institute's Broadband Connectivity Index (BCI) built into the TPI Broadband Map is derived using a principal components analysis that explicitly takes into account many factors of access to broadband.

Cities Corinth and Lake Dallas as well as towns Hickory Creek and Shady Shores (TX), collectively known as the Lake Cities, are seeking a public-private partnership to deploy a fiber network to households and businesses in the area. The project, with the help of $4 million in American Rescue Plan funds, would include building a middle-mile fiber ring to support government services around the four cities, connecting public buildings and facilities.

Students who lacked the home internet connectivity needed to finish schoolwork while virtually learning at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic – an experience often called the “homework gap” – may continue to feel the effects in the 2021-2022 school year.

To secure a future of prosperity for America’s rural communities, we need to completely bridge the digital divide and ensure every American has access to the digital technologies that support success in our modern world. Substantial positive investments toward achieving the national goal of bridging the digital divide through broadband deployment, financial support for broadband service and digital skills training are included in the bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Investment Act recently passed by the US Senate.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and leading committee Reps Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Mike Doyle (D-PA), and Bob Latta (R-OH) wrote to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting a review of how improved interagency coordination can help streamline broadband deployment and close the digital divide, as well as what progress agencies are making toward these efforts.

While the share of households with a broadband connection has been increasing, according to the Federal Communications Commission, millions of households across America — disproportionately in communities of color, rural areas and low-income households — lack reliable and affordable connectivity. Large swaths of rural and urban America are “digital deserts” where high-speed internet access is unavailable at any price.

With broadband now as important as electricity was in the last century, affordable connectivity is more critical than ever. Through the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program, which provides free or discounted internet service of up to $50 a month ($75 on tribal lands) toward the cost of a consumer’s internet bill for people who qualify, Congress has made it clear that affordable connectivity is a top priority with bipartisan support.