Low-income

President Joe Biden announced that his administration would spend more than $42 billion to expand high-speed internet access across the US. The White House estimates the program will help over 8.5 million households and small businesses.

As many have experienced, either personally or through a friend or loved one, the pandemic has taken a toll on people’s mental health.

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a critical component of the nationwide effort to bridge the digital divide. Established on a bipartisan basis by Congress, the ACP provides subsidies that enable low-income households to get – and stay connected – with monthly broadband subscriptions. Despite its success in reaching over 35% of eligible households, the ACP faces a funding shortfall by 2024.

On June 14, 2023, the White House kicked off a “week of action” devoted to raising awareness and enrollment for the Affordable Connectivity Program (“ACP”). Nationally, only 18.7 million of the eligible 52 million households (35.8%) are enrolled in the program. This is a truly outstanding achievement for a program that is only a year and a half old. Though there are countless examples of how beneficial the ACP is for communities nationwide, there is a danger the ACP may not last much longer.

The Montana Broadband Office's Digital Opportunity Plan will guide the state’s efforts to narrow the digital divide and provide all Montanans with affordable high-speed broadband, adequate access to devices, and the digital skills necessary to access the internet and its many services. The state's plan serves as a guide to Montana's work toward universal broadband.

Maine became one of the first states to share a draft broadband action plan and companion Digital Equity Plan. The plan highlights the complex challenges faced by Maine residents who lack internet access, including limited opportunities for remote work, education, and healthcare, emphasizing the importance of bridging the digital divide to ensure that all residents can participate in the digital economy.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau announced the counties in which conditional forbearance from the obligation to offer Lifeline-supported voice service applies, pursuant to the Commission’s 2016 Lifeline Order. This forbearance applies only to the Lifeline voice obligation of eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) that are designated for purposes of receiving both high-cost and Lifeline support (high-cost/Lifeline ETCs), and not to Lifeline-only ETCs.

Utah continues working to close the state's digital divide. On June 20, 2023, the Utah Broadband Center released its draft State Digital Equity Plan in conjunction with its Digital Connectivity Plan. Both plans will help guide the allocation of federal funding to the state for broadband access and adoption expansion over the next five years. Here, we take a look at Utah's digital equity plan.

It’s hard to calculate the number of homeless people in the US. At the end of 2022, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development placed the number around 600,000, with 60 percent living in emergency shelters, safe havens, or transitional housing. HUD counted the remaining 40 percent as unsheltered—living outside or in other places considered unfit for habitation, such as in abandoned buildings or underground. Tech permeates every step of the job-search process.