Code for America & Broadband/ACP

🌱 What is the problem?

Since the Emergency Broadband Benefit and subsequently the Affordable Connectivity Program’s launch in April 2021,  40% of eligible households have adopted the benefit. The benefit has reached 13 out of 30 million eligible households—leaving a gap of 17 million households without affordable internet service. That leaves nearly $4 billion on the table, yet to be distributed to individuals and families.

Low adoption rates have been due to:

1. Lack of awareness – People don’t know about the new broadband benefits.
2. Lack of trust in the service – There have been instances of upcharging from broadband providers that breaches trust among communities.
3. Burdensome or unfamiliar processes – Clients must both apply for the EBB program and contact a participating provider to select a service plan.
4. Clunky backend data collection – The eligibility system uses locally-held data to check an applicant’s information; this is time consuming, difficult, and often ends in manual review.

Day of Action - Broadband Action Track: Details and Updates

Update on this year's National Day of Civic Hacking

Lifeline Support for Affordable Communications