Universal Broadband

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society hosted an "Ask Me Anything" webinar on our Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Enrollment Performance Tool. During the webinar, Revati Prasad, Benton Institute Director of Research and Fellowships, John Horrigan, Benton Senior Fellow and developer of the ACP Tool, and Elena Saltzman, Civic Nation's Director of Campaigns, talked about program performance, how to best focus ACP outreach and enrollment efforts, and fielded questions by those in the virtual room.

At the July 16-19, 2023 summit of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), the organization passed a resolution supporting permanent funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). In its resolution, NARUC acknowledged that there were $8.6 billion of remaining ACP appropriations available for disbursement as of June 2023 and that the program is expected to run out of funding by the second quarter of 2024.

The Federal Communications Commission adopted an order providing Tribal libraries and other E-Rate participants enhanced access to funding so they can obtain affordable, high-speed broadband services and equipment to connect students and library patrons with online learning opportunities.

The Arkansas State Broadband Office (ASBO) recently launched its Digital Skills and Opportunity Survey as part of the state’s larger planning process to better understand the complexities of the digital divide.

There are currently 291,000 locations in Minnesota that are either unserved or underserved, which is about 12 percent of homes or businesses. The state would like to fill in those gaps by 2026. An infusion of $67 million in grants allocated during the last legislative session will put a dent in that need. Federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, totaling $652 million over five years, allocated to Minnesota will go even further to bringing high-speed internet to all Minnesotans. US Sen.

“Updated data!” is a phrase that fills the hearts of data nerds everywhere and we’re here to help with an update to our Affordable Connectivity Program Enrollment Performance Tool. The data for the first version of the ACP Tool was current through January 2023, but we’ve fielded questions recently asking about updates. We now release an updated ACP Enrollment Performance Tool with data that runs through April 2023.

The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority will soon have $1.16 billion in funds to upgrade internet service – and that effort is moving forward by collecting stories from community leaders across Pennsylvania, said Brandon Carson, the authority’s executive director. Carson met with local leaders, business operators and internet service providers from across Somerset, Cambria and Fayette (PA) counties during a “Broadband Through Community” meeting – one of 20 sessions planned statewide to gather feedback and insight about local internet needs and concerns.

The Aspen Institute's Principles for Latino Digital Success were conceived as a series of guidelines to inform the design and implementation of effective digital equity efforts targeting the Latino community in the United States. Our generation is responsible for maximizing the impact of these Federal investments. We have a unique chance to build the foundations of a better society with equal opportunities for everyone to succeed and thrive and for the US economy to remain at the forefront of global innovation.

The City of Seattle (WA) received $393,200 to help connect Seattle residents to reliable, affordable high-speed internet. The funding stems from the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Outreach Grant Program.

The recommendations in this report focus on the Federal Communications Commission's Community Equity and Diversity Council's mission of “advancing equity in the provision of access to digital communication services and products for all people of the United States, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, location, sex or disability.