Seniors/Aging Individuals
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/ndia%20logo_9.png?itok=lrXlGGdZ)
NDIA Continues to Fight for Rigorous Digital Discrimination Rules
The National Digital Inclusion Alliance has warned policymakers about digital redlining, a discriminatory practice that prevents certain populations from having internet access, since 2017. Thanks in part to these warnings and advocacy efforts, the creation of digital discrimination rules was mandated in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/health%20affairs_0.png?itok=x7nTXKqk)
Pillars, Policies, And Plausible Pathways Linking Digital Inclusion And Health Equity
Digital inclusion is considered a super social determinant of health and rests on four pillars: available and affordable broadband service, quality devices, digital skills and training, and technical support for using accessible applications. Evidence suggests two pathways through which digital inclusion and health equity are connected. The direct pathway is through increasing access to health care services.
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/Microsoft_2.png?itok=MxztdT7p)
Microsoft and OpenAI launch Societal Resilience Fund
Microsoft and OpenAI launched a $2 million Societal Resilience Fund to further artificial intelligence education and literacy among voters and vulnerable communities. Grants delivered from the fund will help several organizations—including Older Adults Technology Services from AARP (OATS), the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) and Partnership on AI (PAI)—to deliver AI education and support their work to create better understanding of AI capabilities.
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/benton_2_449.png?itok=VV7kKLJk)
As ACP Funding Dwindles, What is the Future of Broadband Affordability?
Without congressional action, funding for the Federal Communications Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) will expire at the end of May 2024. With this in mind, the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Media and Broadband convened a May 2 hearing on 'The Future of Broadband Affordability' to discuss congressional funding of U.S.
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/benton_13.png?itok=181zhzMd)
What Did NTIA's Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth Accomplish in 2023?
Congress included the ACCESS BROADBAND Act in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 and established the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth (OICG) within the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). On April 30, OICG released its annual report detailing the office's work for 2023. OICG administers broadband programs created by both the Consolidated Appropriations Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Four interconnected core pillars drive OICG’s initiatives, strategy, and key accomplishments:
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/ntia_122.jpg?itok=NkqUMeTs)
Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth Annual Report 2023
The ACCESS BROADBAND Act requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth (OICG) to submit to relevant congressional committees and publish on its website an annual report that contains a description of OICG’s work for the previous year and the number of U.S.
Rural, older Americans could get hurt as affordable internet program runs out of cash
Since 2021, struggling Americans have made ends meet with the help of a popular federal benefit known as the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which covers home internet service. But in just a few weeks their internet bills could skyrocket by hundreds of dollars a year. That’s because the ACP is running out of funds—and Congress shows no signs it will approve more. Policy experts have described the situation as a fast-approaching economic crisis and a major step backward for closing the digital divide between internet haves and have-nots.
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/chamber%20of%20commerce_0.png?itok=orrA-zzl)
Data Reveals Landline Phone Decline Statistics
Are we witnessing the final days of the landline phone in the United States? It's possible. But in some regions and across key demographics, landlines persist. The question is: Who’s still “jumping on the horn”? To get to the bottom of this question, we analyzed trends in phone usage by adults aged 18 and over. Our analysis takes a closer look at the percentage of adults living in wireless-only (cell or mobile phone) households, those living with landline phones, and those without phones (phoneless). Key highlights of our analysis include:
California Is Spending Billions On ‘Broadband For All,’ But Critics Say It Will Not Lower Internet Prices
Californians spend an average of $84 per month to connect to the internet—and some of the most vulnerable groups, including older adults, veterans and people with disabilities, tend to pay even more. So the state is spending billions of dollars to make broadband more affordable and available under its Broadband for All plan.
Initial funding for digital equity plans is available. But how do states plan to use it?
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) recently finished approving digital equity plans for all 50 states, as well as Puerto Rico and Washington (DC) in what Administrator Alan Davidson called a “milestone moment.” The grants announced in the March 29 notice of funding opportunity can be used to begin implementation of those plans, which identify the barriers in each sta