Publications

This report examines the impact of the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Outreach Grant on three local community organizations in Southern California: the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF), the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles (KAFLA), and United Ways of California (UWCA). These organizations leveraged their community ties and utilized diverse outreach strategies…

Lifeline and the now defunct ACP (Affordable Connectivity Program) have helped millions of families afford Internet services that support online learning, remote work, and access to telehealth, among many other uses linked to social and economic wellbeing. However, individuals and families entitled to receive these benefits often have to navigate a complex web of procedures…

Did ACP have a measurable impact on broadband access? Did the program help connect low-income families that otherwise would not have been connected? As the ACP program winds down, these questions become ever more important for policymakers and policy advocates. In this study, we offer preliminary evidence that ACP in fact helped increase broadband adoption…

This publication, “The Future of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP): Examining the Impact of Changes to the Eligibility Criteria on Vulnerable Populations” presents three research analyses on potential modifications to ACP eligibility criteria and their impacts on program participation, vulnerable populations, and program costs. Specifically, the analyses focus on: 1) “Analyzing the Impact of Potential…

This report summarizes findings from the Measuring the Effectiveness of Digital Inclusion Approaches (MEDIA) project, which evaluated different programs and regulatory mechanisms to increase residential broadband adoption on a sustainable basis. The project set out to answer fundamental questions about these initiatives, with a focus on those launched after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,…

This case study reviews how the RUSD and its S2H participating schools took steps to mitigate the digital divide. An evaluation of RUSD and its S2H schools suggests important recommendations on how digital inclusion programs can provide sustainable digital inclusivity for all students, parents, and teachers. The lessons RUSD learned during the pandemic offer benefits…

California’s Lifeline program is widely recognized as one of the most successful state Lifeline programs and therefore constitutes an important case for the MEDIA project to study. This report examines the history and characteristics of California Lifeline, including historical participation rates, the program’s targeting efficiency, and barriers to enrollment. It identifies the following three main…

In recent years, state and federal regulators have imposed obligations on Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to offer affordable broadband plans as a condition for approving proposed mergers and acquisitions. The details vary in each case, but the obligation typically involves making available a basic, standalone broadband plan at a price significantly below market rates for a…

This report explores the digital equity efforts of the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA), one of the largest public housing organizations in the U.S. Based on expert interviews and a review of public documents from HACLA, this report reveals how barriers for connectivity faced by families that received housing assistance can be…

The Alabama Broadband Connectivity (ABC) for Students program had high uptake among eligible families, particularly in areas with more digitally vulnerably people and areas with majority Democrat voters. The program presents evidence on three critical design elements for increasing uptake in broadband affordability programs: (1) Targeted outreach through trusted messengers; (2) Remove barriers to enrollment;…