Benton Institute Announces Inaugural Cohort of Opportunity Fund Fellows

The Benton Institute for Broadband and Society introduced its inaugural Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fund Fellows. The six broadband practitioners, advocates, and researchers are leading efforts to close the digital divide and realize a stronger, more equitable, and more just America.

1. Pierrette Renee Dagg will investigate the role community champions play in community connectivity solutions and what factors allow these leaders to succeed.
2. The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is launching a pilot hybrid fiber-mesh network that is expected to connect up to 50 affordable housing developments in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan. HPDChief Digital Equity Officer Dave Seliger will document the learnings from this initiative to share with other municipalities, public housing authorities, and affordable housing organizations across the country.
3. EveryoneOn CEO Norma Fernandez  is researching the barriers to adoption, particularly for low-income women of color. In order to ensure that digital equity planning efforts and broadband policy center the voices of underrepresented and marginalized groups, her qualitative research with income-insecure Latinas and African American/Black women will explore their journeys to broadband adoption, computer ownership, and digital skill development.
4. Dr. Jorge A. Rodriguez, a clinician-investigator at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, will look at digital inclusion work in healthcare settings.
5. Dr. Erezi Ogbo, Assistant Professor at North Carolina Central University, will study the impact of subsidized broadband on historically marginalized communities.
6. Greta Byrum's work will focus on online safety, privacy, and well-being, developing strategic guidance for how state digital equity plans can help new and  historically marginalized  users navigate the internet safely.