Community Anchor Institutions

Institutions that are rooted in their local communities by mission, invested capital, or relationships to customers, employees, and vendors.

FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel Visits New Mexico to Promote Tribal Library Connectivity

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel will visit Isleta and Laguna Pueblos in northern New Mexico and meet with Tribal library representatives and Tribal leaders from several Pueblos and Navajo Nation, as part of agency efforts to ensure everyone, everywhere has the internet connections they need.

Public-Private Partnerships Are a Win-Win for Communities And Broadband Providers

Public-private partnerships (P3s) between service providers and communities are well-established in Europe and growing in popularity across the US. The model in which a service provider desires the next-generation network but may not build, own or operate the network outright can be a great way to deliver a reliable, high-speed fiber broadband network with unlimited capacity to communities. The two standard flavors of P3s are "open:" a model in which the wholesale network is owned by a public-private entity and operates as an open-access wholesale network.

Adoption is at the Heart of Florida’s Broadband Internet Policies

In May 2021, the Florida Legislature passed the Florida Broadband Deployment Act of 2021, codifying the Florida Office of Broadband, which had been created in the previous year within the state's Department of Economic Opportunity.

Chicago can defeat the digital divide, help kids succeed in school

One pandemic-era program demonstrated that Chicago can solve big inequities with a spirit of partnership and the right resources. Since launching in June 2020, Chicago Connected, the country’s most comprehensive internet connectivity program for students,  has served nearly one in three CPS students — more than 100,000 students in 60,000 households. In a new report, Kids First Chicago (K1C) found the connectiv

Affordable Internet Improves Lives According to Recent Survey

According to a recent report from Cox, conducted by a third-party research firm, customers enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and/or who use Cox's Connect2Compete (C2C) service are experiencing significant positive impacts on their careers, their children's education and to the continuing education of the adults in their household. Cox's long-standing commitment to narrowing the digital divide began 20 years ago with Connect2Compete for families with K-12 children.

North Carolina Central University Trains Digital Equity Leadership in Durham

Durham, North Carolina, is a thriving digital equity ecosystem supported by a network of community anchor institutions working to close the digital divide.

SHLB Coalition urges FCC to label anchor institutions as broadband serviceable locations

With just over a month remaining until the Federal Communications Commission's deadline for broadband map challenges, the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition is raising concerns over how the map displays community anchor institutions (CAIs) and is asking the FCC to revise its process.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Statewide Broadband Plan

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Statewide Broadband Plan focuses on four challenge areas and opportunities for universal broadband access in the state: broadband service infrastructure and availability; digital equity and affordability; device and technology access; and digital literacy and technical support. The state's broadband plan prioritizes these objectives:

The ‘Digital Equity’ Students Need to Learn May Not Come Without Community Outreach

While students around the country are back in school in person this year, the connection between education and high-speed internet hasn’t been severed. Students still turn in assignments online and interact with class material through learning management systems, and they may even stream their lessons. The support services that are becoming critical for education—from health screenings to tutoring sessions—are also often delivered online. And that means, more than ever, getting an education requires access to fast, reliable internet.

Digital Equity Ecosystems Measurement Framework

Digital equity ecosystems are interactions between individuals, populations, communities, and their larger environments that all play a role in shaping the work in local communities to advance more equitable access to technology and social, economic, and racial justice. The Digital Equity Ecosystems Measurement (DEEM) framework assumes that local coalitions play a key role in this work.