Research

In the United States, the approach to governing artificial intelligence (AI) is still in its early stages. As policymakers, developers, and civil society work together to navigate an uncertain digital future, encouraging greater openness in the AI model ecosystem will be critical to upholding democratic values, serving the public interest, and promoting innovation.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act sets an ambitious overarching goal: internet for all. But past access and adoption, states are asked to think about how increased access to and use of broadband can drive equitable outcomes in areas like access to health care and essential services, education and job training, and participation in the society, economy, and civic institutions of the Nation.

In the heat of the 2024 election, news influencers seemed to be everywhere.

Telling an evidence-based story of organizational success is essential for acquiring grants, building trust with clients, and establishing strong ties with partner organizations. As federal funding radically alters the digital equity landscape over the coming decade, this task will only become more important. To support organizations positioned to receive those funds we build on existing evaluation guides targeting the digital equity practitioner community.

On Monday, November 11th, to commemorate Veterans Day, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society released Veterans and Digital Equity: Planning for Success, a collaborative research effort with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Offices of Connected Care and Rural Engagement. We reviewed state digital equity plans to better understand what states' strategies are for connecting Veterans. My coauthors, Dr.

On October 25, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded over $70 million in funding to California through the Digital Equity Act's Capacity Grant Program.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act identifies Veterans as one of eight “covered populations” and encourages states to research and address the barriers Veterans face in accessing, adopting, and benefiting from internet access and other digital technologies. States’ digital equity plans acknowledge the common challenges facing Veterans and other covered populations while also developing strategies to address the unique needs of Veterans.

As the main drivers of the digital divide evolve, digital inclusion efforts that seek to increase digital skills, build consumer trust in digital technologies, and promote information about affordability plans and other broadband availability programs have fast become key to getting everyone online. This report argues for the creation of a national digital skills framework and explains the immediate policy context.

The Data Mapping to Save Moms’ Lives Act directed the Federal Communications Commission to incorporate maternal health data into its Mapping Broadband Health in America platform. The agency took this task seriously and on June 20, 2023, first introduced this information on the platform, including public data about maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity, as well as facts about race and ethnicity, maternal age, rurality, areas with maternity care deserts, and areas with shortages of mental health care providers.

America’s broadband industry invested $94.7 billion in U.S. communications infrastructure in 2023, as broadband providers worked intensively to connect communities to high-speed networks.