Equitable Broadband in Urban America
The Equitable Broadband in Urban America Research Group is a multi-city, multi-methods project that offers actionable insights into how broadband service in urban America can be improved. The $42.5 billion investment into broadband infrastructure under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program is expected to be largely directed to rural communities where infrastructure needs are more starkly apparent. The work of the Urban America Research Group will ensure that urban broadband needs are better understood and addressed.
Researchers explore how state and federal policymakers, local governments, and digital equity champions contribute to digital equity in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, San Antonio, and Seattle. They delve into the specific dynamics and challenges to reaching universal broadband and digital equity in their cities.
Chicago
Kyla Williams Tate, Director of Digital Equity in the Cook County Office of the President, studies the relationship between trust, digital discrimination, and digital adoption among the descendants of the Great Migration.
From The Great Migration to Digital Equity: Superdeterminants, Systems, and Shared Power (Part 2) (December 2025)
From the Great Migration to Digital Equity: Trust, Discrimination, and Adoption (Part 1) (August 2025)
From Exodus to Access: Unraveling the Great Migration's Connection to the Digital Divide (March 2024)
Learn more on her project page.
New York
Monique Tate, Co-Director of Community Tech NY (CTNY), focuses on the Community Tech Labs as an organizing space to build digital equity.
The Birth and Evolution of the Community Tech Lab (May 2026)
From a Devastated Detroit to Community Empowerment in MorningSide (February 2024)
Learn more on her project page.
Philadelphia
Dr. Pawel Popiel and Dr. David Elliot Berman examine the implementation and impact of subsidized broadband programs, focusing on the work of Digital Navigators.
Lived Broadband Policy: Experiencing the Affordable Connectivity Program (August 2025)
The Digital Divide in Comcast Town (February 2024)
Learn more on their project page.
Seattle
Esther Jang, PhD Candidate in Computer Science at the University of Washington, and a lead instructor with the Tribal Broadband Bootcamps, investigates and documents the Seattle Community Network (SCN) as a “teaching and learning network” and a sustainable model for community internet access.
How to Use Affordable and Open-Source Software Tools for Community Network Mobilization (October 2025)
How to Build a BOM (Bill of Materials) For Community-Based Connectivity at Homeless Shelters (March 2024)
Learn more on her project page.
San Antonio
Christina Quintanilla-Muñoz, PhD Candidate in Applied Demography at the University of Texas at San Antonio, chronicles the city’s history of digital redlining and the digital inclusion efforts by public-private partnerships, coalitions of non-profit and community-based organizations, and a regional digital equity network.
¡Viva San Antonio!: how a city’s collective spirit and shared heritage breathe life into digital inclusion (March 2024)
Learn more on her project page.
Related Research
Reducing Digital Discrimination and Stressors by Improving Broadband Adoption in Historically Redlined Areas (Diep, 2023)
Who gets access to fast broadband? Evidence from Los Angeles County (Galperin et al., 2021)
New York’s Digital Divide: Examining adoption of internet and computers for the state and its library districts (Horrigan, 2021)
Digital Divide Isn’t Just a Rural Problem (Horrigan, 2019)
Universal Broadband in Illinois: Studying the Costs of Providing Free and Affordable Service for All Residents (Horrigan et al., 2020)
Understanding Chicago’s Digital Divide (Mangla et al., 2022)
Worst Connected Cities (NDIA, 2019)
Determinants of broadband access and affordability: An analysis of a community survey on the digital divide (Reddick et al., 2020)
Limiting Broadband Investment to “Rural Only” Discriminates Against Black Americans and other Communities of Color (Siefer & Callahan, 2020)
Geographic, racial/ethnic, and socioeconomic inequities in broadband access (Zahnd et al., 2021)