The American Community Survey (ACS) 2022 one-year estimates, which were released in September 2023, reveal the impact of digital inclusion work and the disparities that still exist. First, we have to celebrate the progress made in broadband adoption reflected in the 2022 data. From 2021 to 2022, 2.5 million new households subscribed to wireline broadband (DSL, cable, or fiber connections). This is a huge number to celebrate. However, as we continue in this work, we have to acknowledge that gaps still exist. In 2022, 31.2 million households, nearly one-quarter of all US households, still did not have a wireline connection. More than 8 million American households, or a total of 6 percent, still had no connection to the internet at all. Income remained a strong predictor of internet adoption, with households in the highest income brackets having the highest broadband subscription rates. However, we see the greatest disparities between the “haves” and “have-nots” in the percentage of white households who reported having a computer and a wireline broadband connection as compared to households that identify as Black, Indigenous, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. 

Kansas awarded a $5 million grant to nonprofit Connected Nation to construct a carrier-neutral internet exchange point (IXP) adjacent to Wichita State University’s Innovation Campus. Construction will be done through Connected Nation IXP, a joint venture between Connected Nation and Newby Ventures. The Wichita IXP will be the first carrier-neutral IXP in Kansas. One network that will connect to the Wichita IXP is the middle-mile network planned for the state that was funded, in part, through a June 2023, $42.5 million grant awarded to the Kansas Departments of Commerce and Transportation. The grant came from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Middle Mile program, and at the time, NTIA noted that plans for the project included connecting multiple new IXPs throughout the state. Wichita State University will provide a 40-year ground lease for the facility that CNIXP will use as an in-kind contribution to the grant, subject to final approval by the Kansas Board of Regents. The CNIXP will be built to withstand 200 mph winds and will have redundant electrical and mechanical systems.

The New York Public Library (NYPL) is looking to offer Internet services to low-income New Yorkers through a cutting-edge mix of fixed wireless access (FWA) and fiber. Garfield Swaby, VP of IT for NYPL, sees the organization as potentially offering a layer of telecommunications services alongside the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides subsidies to low-income Americans to help them pay for telecommunications services. The COVID-19 pandemic, and its resulting shutdowns across New York City, sparked the project. Library officials noticed residents at some of the library system's 92 locations sitting outside the buildings in order to log into the library's Wi-Fi networks. In response, library officials in New York and elsewhere started looking for ways to broadcast their buildings' Internet connections into nearby neighborhoods. Phase one of the trial tested radio equipment from Motorola, Celona and Baicells on top of five different NYPL library locations, and customer premises equipment (CPE) from Ericsson's Cradlepoint and Inseego. The library system's main learning was that CPE receivers for FWA systems are expensive, and in some cases library patrons did not return the gadgets. As a result, NYPL is now pursuing a slightly different strategy for phase two.

Open Signal users on AT&T and Verizon’s networks have enjoyed substantial boosts in their download speeds around U.S. airports after July 1, 2023, when the carriers were to increase power levels on the C-band around the airport areas — but still lag behind T-Mobile's 5G users' speeds. While both carriers were able to reduce the mitigations around the use of the C-band around the airport areas in July 2023 — AT&T and Verizon also gained full access to their C-band spectrum holdings in August 2023, after satellite companies cleared the band early. Opensignal observed a general uplift in 5G Download Speed scores nationwide, with AT&T’s 5G Download Speed score increasing by 45.1% and Verizon’s — by 29.8% for the 90-day data collection period starting on August 1, 2023, compared to Q2 2023. Still, the relative boost around the selected airports is significantly higher for both AT&T and Verizon than the national uplift, showing the combined effect of the additional spectrum and fewer restrictions on power levels on the mobile network experience of our users. Soaring AT&T and Verizon’s 5G Download Speed scores positively influence the carriers’ overall Download Speed Experience results. AT&T’s average overall download speeds have risen by 30.4% around the analyzed airports (compared to 12.6% nationally), while Verizon’s — by 22.1% (compared to 7.1% nationally). Consequently, the gap between these two carriers and T-Mobile has narrowed around the airports as well — from 2.3-2.4 times faster average overall download speeds for T-Mobile than AT&T and Verizon to less than twice as fast, after additional C-band spectrum became available and interference mitigation measures relaxed.

The Alliant Credit Union Foundation requests grant applications for the Million Dollar Challenge. The Foundation will award $1,000,000 in grants to various organizations working to bridge the digital divide in the following ways:

• Bringing technology devices and affordable, reliable broadband to the people who need them most
• Delivering digital skills education to impacted communities
• Calling upon community leaders for internet accessibility reform

Applications will be accepted through December 31, 2023. Please reach out to foundation@alliantcreditunion.com with any questions.