Boosting Broadband Adoption and Remote K–12 Education in Low-Income Households

This report identifies solutions and best practices to accelerate internet adoption through sponsored-service programs. These recommendations are critical to achieving educational equity and minimizing the risks of the digital divide—including income loss and economic exclusion—for the duration of the pandemic and beyond. As the government pursues additional education and low-income-support programs, the lessons from sponsored-service programs are applicable more broadly. Importantly, the lessons can inform the effective outreach for those programs and their implementation. The research found four factors that hinder enrollment in sponsored-service programs and limit internet adoption: low program awareness, a lack of clarity about the offerings and processes, a lack of trust in the available services, and structural limitations.