Eliminating the Digital Divide in the District of Columbia Requires a Focus on Affordability

Goal One for the District of Columbia State Broadband and Digital Equity Office is to make high-quality, affordable, high-speed internet accessible to all residents of D.C. in their homes and local Community Anchor Institutions (CAIs) and drive equitable adoption of broadband. Key to that goal is ensuring that no D.C. resident must pay more than two percent of their gross income per month for high-speed internet. But, as a percentage of the total population, D.C. has more people with income below 150 percent of the federal poverty line than the US does overall. So affordable internet service is a key priority of the District's Broadband and Digital Equity Office. Using the July and August 2023 pricing available on D.C. providers’ websites, the State's Broadband and Digital Equity Office found that for 300 Mbps download speed plans, the maximum price for non-promotional service is $60/month, while the minimum nonpromotional pricing is $25/month. Based on an analysis of a representative sample of 203 broadband serviceable locations (BSLs), 61 percent of BSLs do not have access to 300 Mbps service for $30 or less. This is because the minimum price to a majority (61%) of BSLs in D.C. is $50. In a DC Broadband Access and Digital Equity survey, respondents were asked how much they were willing to pay monthly for internet service. Only 29 percent of respondents are willing to pay more than $50 monthly.  Approximately 55 percent are willing to pay more than $30 monthly, and approximately 20 percent of respondents are willing to pay at most $10 monthly.