Fast, affordable Internet access for all.
WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi Show Covers Broadband
The very best value connection in the country is in Lafayette, Louisiana, with 10Mbps symmetrical (up and down) for under $30 /month. The fastest citywide connection is in Chattanooga, Tennessee - 150Mbps. Both are provided by city-owned utilities.
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Gina Birch Loves Digital Equity at the Ashbury Center in Cleveland
New Resource: Tracking the Affordable Connectivity Program
On January 1st, 2022, the Federal Communications Commission launched the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) with $14.2 billion in funding designed to help American households pay for the monthly cost of their Internet subscription.
New Resource: Tracking the Affordable Connectivity Program
In May, we published a story about the fate of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), based on a prediction model we built that was intended to visualize how long we might expect the $14.2 billion fund to last before needing new Congressional appropriations to sustain it. We’re back today not only with a new and improved model (based both on more granular geographic data and fed by an additional 16 weeks of enrollment data), but a new dashboard that pulls together a host of information from the Universal Service Administrative Corporation on where and how the Affordable Connectivity Program money is being spent.
The Fate of the Affordable Connectivity Program
There's no argument that the ACP offers relief to households that need it most. But is it a long-term solution? Our analysis shows that even if only a third of eligible households ultimately enroll, absent additional allocation the fund will be exhausted by November 2024. But even under the best-case scenario, with the benefit reaching as many people as possible, current enrollment rates show that only 68 percent of eligible households would be able to sign up before the funds run out. In this model, the money will be exhausted just 18 months from now, in January 2024.
Breaking Down the BEAD NOFO | Join us Tomorrow at 10am ET for a Special Episode of Connect This!
On this special emergency episode of Connect This!, our hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) are joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting). The four will be breaking down the BEAD NOFO (Notice of Funding Opportunity).
Mapping & Data Collection | Join us Today at 4pm ET for Connect This! Episode 42
In this episode of the Connect This! Show, co-hosts Christopher Mitchell and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) are joined by guests Brian Mefford (VETRO FiberMap) and Lori Adams (Nokia) to talk about the FCC's Fabric initiative, and the latest in data collection and mapping.