Digital Divide

The gap between people with effective access to digital and information technology, and those with very limited or no access at all.

The Smartest Way to Bring Broadband to All

In the coming months, more than $42 billion in federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funds will be distributed among U.S. states and territories. Federal and state policymakers have key roles to play in supporting the efforts of the BEAD program. On the federal level, policymakers should focus on removing regulatory barriers rather than erecting new ones.

Ensuring All Hoosiers Have Reliable and Affordable Broadband

The mission of the Indiana Broadband Office (IBO) is to assist residents in need of affordable and reliable broadband connectivity. IBO recognizes that affordability is an important component of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program and that deployment without affordable options will severely limit Indiana residents’ ability to navigate the internet effectively and utilize digital services.

With the internet now a necessity, the digital underclass is still in need

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a photo of two little girls in the parking lot of a California Taco Bell went viral. They were doing their schoolwork on laptops in that inconvenient location because the restaurant provided free Wi-Fi, which they didn’t have at home. The girls came to symbolize the digital underclass that’s emerged since the rise of the internet.

Foliage won't stop this ISP from connecting Cleveland

Fixed wireless access (FWA) is often thought of as a way to connect remote areas where fiber can’t do the job. But the technology also has a place in the big city, as nonprofit DigitalC has shown. DigitalC kicked off in January an 18-month plan to construct a citywide FWA network in Cleveland.

The Constitution and Your Cellphone Bill

How much power may Congress hand off to the Washington bureaucracy? That’s a live question, so grab the popcorn to read a decision by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. In a 9-7 en banc ruling, it invalidated a “universal service” surcharge added to cellphone bills.

How the ​FCC Can Lower Broadband Costs and Increase Consumer Choice for Apartment Residents

In March 2024, the Federal Communications Commission circulated a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, or NPRM, seeking input on how to best “lower costs and address the lack of choice for broadband services available to households in apartments, condos, public housing, and other multi-tenant buildings.” Public Knowledge and 30 other organizations

ACP funding sees progress in the Senate but still unlikely to pass

Hopes came alive again in Congress that the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which lapsed in June, could actually get funded. First, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a House bill on July 30, matching the language of a Senate bill that would extend the ACP with $6 billion and modify the program. On July 31, Democrats in the Senate Commerce Committee voted to advance an earlier bill – the ACP Extension Act – by attaching it as an amendment to the Plan for Broadband Act, legislation that would direct the NTIA to create a coordinated federal broadband strategy. Sen.

Biden-Harris Administration Approves Arizona's “Internet for All” Initial Proposal

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Arizona's Initial Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program.

A Plan to Bridge the Digital Divide in Colorado

In 2022, the Colorado Broadband Office (CBO) commissioned a survey of 2,000+ Coloradans, 18+ agencies, 200+ local governments, nonprofits, and organizations serving marginalized populations to assess the current state of broadband in Colorado. At the time, only approximately 76 percent of households in Colorado subscribed to broadband despite over 90 percent having access.

Biden-Harris Administration Approves Montana, Oklahoma, and Vermont's “Internet for All” Initial Proposal

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Montana, Oklahoma, and Vermont's Initial Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative. This approval enables Montana, Oklahoma, and Vermont to request access to funding and begin implementation of the BEAD program—a major step towards closing the digital divide and connecting everyone in America with affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service.