2023 California Statewide Digital Equity Survey

This report presents the main findings from the 2023 Statewide Survey on Broadband Adoption Survey. The main goal of the survey is to assess California’s progress towards closing the divide in broadband adoption, with particular focus on variations across different state regions and subpopulations of interest, in particular those defined as Covered Populations in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA). Beyond the assessment of broadband adoption, the study covers a broad range of related topics, including whether residents connect using a computing device or a smartphone, the cost of broadband service, and the level of satisfaction with the contracted service. Further, the study probes into the impact of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a federal subsidy program established by the Digital Equity Act of 2021 (included in the IIJA) to lessen the affordability burden of broadband service for middle and low-income households. Finally, the study examines the patterns of adoption of telehealth services across Covered Populations.