Despite more than three decades of public and private efforts to expand the availability of broadband service, millions of Americans still lack access to reliable high-speed internet connections and millions more cannot afford connections when they are available.
The initiative seeks to solve these problems by:
- Advocating for state and federal policy change.
- Addressing key gaps in the research to help inform policy efforts around the country.
- Partnering with state governments to implement evidence-based solutions for broadband expansion.
- Educating and mobilizing stakeholders from fields such as health care, education, and workforce development to be champions for universal, affordable broadband access.
Increasing broadband deployment has been a critical component of the United States’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic and a central aspect of the recent wave of funding aimed at modernizing the country’s infrastructure.
Funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) lapsed in May 2024, ending a monthly subsidy that 23 million households nationwide had been using to afford high-speed internet connections. The change disrupted years of progress and, in many instances, future plans for states, internet service providers (ISPs), local leaders, and other stakeholders.
As states begin rolling out the federal program to expand high-speed broadband access, national policymakers need to keep the momentum going after three years of state-led outreach and planning with internet service providers (ISPs) and communities.
Research shows that access to broadband correlates with greater economic opportunity and workforce participation as well as improved health outcomes. But the mere presence of networks is not enough— to ensure that people can benefit from new connections and fully participate in the digital economy, households need to use the service. It is therefore essential to support the adoption of broadband, and now, two government initiatives are working together to help.
Heather Peatman is a hardworking photographer and farmer, but she spends a good portion of her days thinking about something entirely different from editing pictures or feeding her animals: how she can get a speedy internet connection.
Trust Magazine
