Low-income

Puerto Rico’s government announced that it plans to offer free, high-speed internet to the more than 300 public housing projects across the US territory. Public Housing Administrator Alejandro Salgado said nearly all units will have internet access by the end of next year as part of the $11.8 million project. He said an internet connection has become an urgent need, especially for schoolchildren. Salgado said the service recently debuted in some of the island’s 78 municipalities, including Aguada, Arecibo and Isabela.

The “device divide” is one of the top reasons why individuals aren’t connected to the internet. That’s why it won’t matter how much Congress invests in connecting everyone to affordable, reliable high-speed internet (and it is investing a lot) — Congress won’t be able to achieve universal connectivity without making sure that low-income consumers can afford to purchase a device.

The Connect Illinois program launched in 2019, pairing the then-largest state matching grant program for broadband expansion -- the $400 million Connect Illinois Broadband Grant Program - - with an appropriately ambitious commitment to digital equity and inclusion. The investment also included $20 million to enable the existing 2,100-mile Illinois Century Network to provide all school districts in the state with access to free gigabit broadband.

Nishal Mohan, founder and CEO of the tech nonprofit, Mohuman, wants to make technology more accessible and affordable for people in underserved communities. “I have lived experience on both sides of the digital divide, with a deep understanding of the complex systemic inequities perpetuating it, that go beyond devices and internet access. And I know how to fix it,” he says. “I want everyone to have an easier time than my family and I did, to succeed.

Students who lacked the home internet connectivity needed to finish schoolwork while virtually learning at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic – an experience often called the “homework gap” – may continue to feel the effects in the 2021-2022 school year.

While the share of households with a broadband connection has been increasing, according to the Federal Communications Commission, millions of households across America — disproportionately in communities of color, rural areas and low-income households — lack reliable and affordable connectivity. Large swaths of rural and urban America are “digital deserts” where high-speed internet access is unavailable at any price.

With broadband now as important as electricity was in the last century, affordable connectivity is more critical than ever. Through the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program, which provides free or discounted internet service of up to $50 a month ($75 on tribal lands) toward the cost of a consumer’s internet bill for people who qualify, Congress has made it clear that affordable connectivity is a top priority with bipartisan support.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted just how important it is to have a broadband internet connection at home — for remote school or work, virtual doctor’s exams and meetings and many other pursuits. But broadband can be costly, so the federal government offered new subsidies to help low-income households afford a high-speed line and a device with which to use it. Dozens of internet service providers all across California have signed up for the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program, which covers up to $50 of the monthly cost of an internet connection (or up to $75 on Tribal lands).

SiFi Networks CEO Ben Bawtree-Jobson announced his company’s aggressive plans to launch Open Access FiberCities in 30 US communities by the end of 2022. SiFi will be committing $2 billion from private investors and will begin deploying fiber in 30 cities by the end of next year at no cost to taxpayers, and is working actively with nearly 100 cities total. To help close the digital divide, SiFi Networks will ramp up FiberCity Aid, a groundbreaking digital inclusion program that subsidizes gigabit-speed broadband for low-income residents in SiFi FiberCities.

For Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, the moment is now to get the US on the right track toward ending the digital divide. That's what she's been trying to do with an influx of federal funding aimed at getting Americans connected to the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic. The crisis, which has hit low-income Americans and people of color especially hard, has brought attention to the digital divide and has spurred Congress to act, Rosenworcel said.