The purpose of the $3.2 billion Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program is to help low-income Americans connect to the Internet during the Covid-19 pandemic. As of October 2021, EBB has more than 6 million recipients (about 700 thousand in California) and Congress is discussing several proposals to transition the EBB into a permanent broadband subsidy program. This policy brief examines broadband affordability in California and explores awareness and adoption of the EBB program among low-income California households. For the majority of low-income households that subscribe to broadband, the cost of service exceeds the federal affordability threshold, and many report cutting on essential expenses to pay for high-speed Internet. Only a small share of potential EBB recipients is aware of the program, and findings suggest the need for increased outreach efforts among older adults and in immigrant communities. Additionally, a lack of information about eligibility requirements and the application process deter potential recipients from applying to EBB and other affordable Internet programs. The findings of this report indicate that EBB seems to be helping many, but failing to reach those who need it most. A variety of policy and community initiatives must be put in place to increase program awareness and provide support for those in need of the EBB.

Austin (TX) for years has been one of the nation's most desirable tech hubs. Yet despite this, some of Austin's most vulnerable populations still lack digital literacy, internet access and digital exposure. City officials said the demand for digital devices in Austin continues to surpass the number of devices available. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic and natural disasters such as the February freeze, which caused widespread power outages across the state, have exposed digital access gaps in the Austin area. For years those gaps have disproportionately affected communities of color, older people, immigrants, low-income people and other underrepresented populations. According to digital equity and inclusion advocates, city and state officials must address the need for digital literacy by increasing access to devices, making peer-to-peer training for devices more available and exposing youths to technology as a fast-growing industry. Tech industry giants must also invest in local workforce development, promotion and retention. The city is conducting a study to "analyze the lived experience of Austinites with the digital divide." The findings of the study, which began in September 2021, will be released in early 2022.

A new analysis by The Diffusion Group (TDG) finds that the number of US households subscribing to a broadband service but not a pay-TV service will grow from 38 million in 2020 to 54 million in 2025, up 42 percent in the five-year period. “By 2025, nine-in-ten US households will use residential broadband, of which roughly half will use a pay-TV service from a legacy or virtual MVPD [Multichannel Video Programming Distributor],” said Paul Hockenbury, veteran industry researcher and TDG senior analyst. “The space between the two—so-called broadband-only or BBO customers—offers video creators and distributors lucrative growth opportunities.” In 2010, only 8 percent of US broadband households lived MVPD-free, with streaming video considered no more than a nice supplement to the 500-channel universe of pay-TV. By 2015, the rate doubled to 16 percent, then doubled again to 35 percent in 2020. This trend will continue through the decade, with a tipping point occurring no later than 2026, after which a majority of US broadband households will be MVPD-free. “A decade ago,” adds Hockenbury, “the BBO segment was comprised almost exclusively of bleeding-edge adopters; those defined by a fascination with new products and services and a pocketbook to fund their experiments. Today, the BBO segment is largely defined by early-mainstream dispositions: buying only when the price has come down, the technology has peer-demonstrated benefits, and plenty of support is available.”

Dish Network, which is in the process of building a fourth nationwide US wireless network, has enlisted the help of Helium to extend 5G signals through customers’ hotspots. The plan calls for customers to install transmitters in their homes or offices. These devices work on unlicensed 5G airwaves and customers will be paid in cryptocurrency to host the hotspots. Dish is under pressure to build a next-generation 5G network using its arsenal of airwave licenses that carry a use-or-lose requirement. To date, Dish has only launched a beta version of the 5G network in parts of Las Vegas, with a bigger coverage area to be announced in 2022. The company will use crypto startup Helium’s incentive model with customers deploying their own 5G hotspots. Currently the startup’s hotspot providers can earn rewards in the form of Helium’s token, which currently has a $2.3 billion market value. Helium currently aggregates more than 240,000 hotspots across 21,000 cities in North America, Europe and Asia.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced a new bureau of cyberspace and digital policy to be led by a Senate-confirmed ambassador-at-large and a new, separate special envoy for critical and emerging technology. Both positions will report directly to Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman for at least the first year, according to Secretary Blinken's speech at the Foreign Service Institute. The changes are the latest in a series of reshufflings at the State Department over at least the past three presidential administrations designed to better respond to proliferating and evolving international cybersecurity problems. Those include state-sponsored intrusions of US government networks, theft of intellectual property by Chinese citizens and interference in US elections from Russia and elsewhere. The new structure is meant to reflect Blinken’s view that the US has entered a “fundamentally new era in global affairs” where 21st-century challenges like climate change and emerging technology are at the forefront of international cooperation and competition with allies and adversaries alike, said a senior State Department official.