Low-income
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Maine Uses Digital Equity Capacity Funds to Ensure Communities Can Thrive
On December 6, 2024, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) over $5.7 million in Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program funding towards closing the digital divide in the state. Maine plans to use these funds to spearhead a number of initiatives, including:
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New Brattle Study Finds the Affordable Connectivity Program Pays for Itself
New economic analysis of the Affordable Connectivity Program—which offered monthly broadband service subsidies to low-income households—finds that the economic benefits generated by the program far outweigh its costs. Highlights include:
Supreme Court Will Hear Universal Service Case on March 26
The U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments in the case of FCC v. Consumers’ Research—a case regarding the Universal Service Fund—for Wednesday morning, March 26. The court will decide on a 2024 ruling by the U.S.
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West Virginia's Digital Equity Timeline
On November 1, 2024, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded the West Virginia Department of Economic Development (WVDED) over $9 million in Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program funding to implement the West Virginia Digital Equity Plan. Major activities NTIA is supporting include:
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Seattle’s Equity-Based Approach to Digital Inclusion
The City of Seattle’s Information Technology department (Seattle IT) supports digital equity programs and services as a coalition organization. The City began its digital equity work in the mid-1990s in response to community advocacy concerning access to information technology.
Snapshot: Affordable Connectivity Program
Broadband access for all has long been a critical issue for The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Leadership Conference Education Fund. With the launch of the Center for Civil Rights and Technology in September 2023, these legacy civil rights organizations renewed their commitment and dedication to closing the digital divide—the persistent gap between people who have access to digital technology and those who do not. The startling connections among demographics, regions, and lack of access to broadband highlight the critical need to close this gap.
How the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program is hurting low-income Americans
This episode of The Divide features a conversation with Danielle Perry, chief compliance officer at TruConnect, and a board member at the National Lifeline Association (NaLA), where she also chairs NaLA's regulatory and government affairs committee.
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Linking Alabama to Broadband With a Digital Equity Capacity Grant
The Be Linked Alabama initiative is the state’s united effort to expand access to affordable, reliable high-speed internet to all Alabamians. Coordinated by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), Be Linked Alabama led to the development of the Alabama Statewide Digital Opportunity Plan.
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National Verifier Annual Report and Data
This annual report provides a summary of the National Verifier and its functionality, and it outlines how the National Verifier meets the Federal Communications Commission's key objectives: to protect against waste, fraud, and abuse; to lower costs to the Universal Service Fund (Fund) and service providers through administrative efficiencies; and to better serve eligible beneficiaries by facilitating choice and improving the enrollment experience. This report also provides an update on the use and performance of the National Verifier, including a discussion of system enhancements.
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Federal Universal Service Support Mechanisms Fund Size Projections for Second Quarter 2025
For the Second Quarter of 2025 (2Q2025), the Federal Communications Commission's High Cost Support Mechanism funding requirements are projected as follows: $51.81 million for High Cost Loop (HCL) support, $253.11 million for Connect America Fund Broadband Loop Support (CAF BLS), $2.81 million for frozen Price Cap Carrier Support, $6.40 million for CAF Phase II, $36.60 million for CAF Phase II Auction, $88.36 million for frozen Competitive Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (CETC) Support, $84.32 million for CAF/ICC Support, $41.70 million for Alaska Plan Support, $43.57 mi