Research Projects

ACP Tracking Dashboards

This page provides an index to the various interactive dashboards we offer to track patterns of enrollment in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Click on the thumbnail to jump to the full dashboard, and read the report in which that dashboard appeared for additional context.   ACP participation and growth by county (as of 1/2023).…

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Measuring the Effectiveness of Digital Inclusion Approaches

The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the depth and breadth of the digital divide. Since the start of the pandemic in early 2020, expanding access to Internet connectivity and devices has risen to the top of the national policy agenda. Yet, despite many existing and new initiatives at the federal, state, and local level, over 76…

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Platform Governance in Comparative Perspective

Freedom of speech is increasingly mediated by a small set of social media platforms that operate under different national or regional governance regimes. At the front end of speech moderation is the governance by platforms, cemented in community guidelines and terms of service, as well as in socio-technical tools like user flagging or reporting, outsourced human…

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Connecting Skid Row Project

People experiencing homelessness are often socially marginalized and denied access to technology resources. Yet they find ways to use communication technologies such as smartphones and the Internet throughout their daily lives, to seek information, build or maintain social ties, or for entertainment. How do these practices help them acquire resources, access services or activate systems of social…

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California Digital Equity Dashboards

This research project studies disparities in broadband deployment and adoption in California, exploring its socioeconomic determinants and spatial patterns at the community level. Through policy reports, maps and data analysis, the projects seeks to inform policy and advocacy to achieve digital equity in California. The project has received funding from the California Emerging Technology Fund…

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Discrimination and Inequality in the Gig Economy

Despite a large amount of evidence about discrimination in the gig economy, the mechanisms that result in lower earnings and fewer opportunities for women, racial minorities and other groups remain poorly understood. This project examines the underlying mechanisms of hiring and matching in digital labor platforms. In particular, it seeks to understand how platform architecture and…

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