Executive Director Adrianne B. Furniss announced the appointment of Dr. Revati Prasad as the Benton Institute's new Director of Research and Fellowships. Revati will recruit and manage a diverse cohort of fellows—researchers, advocates, and practitioners—and their projects supported by the newly created Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fund. In addition, Dr. Prasad will lead Benton's research efforts and help develop resources and strategies any state or community can use to bring broadband to everyone.

Furniss said, “In this 40th Anniversary year, the Benton Institute has doubled down on our commitment to build a new generation of leaders committed to ensuring that fast, fair, affordable broadband reaches everyone in the U.S. I am excited that Dr. Prasad will spearhead our efforts."

2022 will be a historic year for federal investment in digital equity including broadband infrastructure, adoption, and affordability. Dr. Prasad's work will help policymakers, advocates and practitioners better understand how people gain access to and expertise in using the critical communications and information tools of modern society.

"I'm thrilled to be joining Benton," said Dr. Prasad, "which has long been such a critical resource for all of us who follow broadband policy. I'm looking forward to working on the Opportunity Fund and the chance to support researchers, practitioners and advocates as they ask and answer the questions that will help ensure equitable broadband access for all."

Most recently, Dr. Prasad was an American Council for Learned Societies Leading Edge Fellow at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance studying efforts by indigenous communities to improve broadband access for themselves. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and an MPA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Her doctoral work examined efforts to “connect the unconnected” in rural India, including telecommunications policy, infrastructure projects, and small networks run by wireless internet service providers (WISPs).

Dr. Prasad's research has been published in Media, Culture & Society, Information, Culture & Society, Communication, Culture and Critique, and Journalism. She has received awards from the Global Communication and Social Change and the Media Industries Divisions of the International Communication Association.  

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all people in the U.S. have access to competitive, High-Performance Broadband regardless of where they live or who they are. We believe communication policy - rooted in the values of access, equity, and diversity - has the power to deliver new opportunities and strengthen communities.

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