Amy Owen is the Senior Director, Digital and Teacher Policy at ExcelinEd.
An estimated 28 million households in the U.S. lack home broadband, representing about 47 million Americans, according to a 2021 report. Up to two-thirds of those households cannot afford the cost of broadband, even if it is available to them. For families with children, this lack of home broadband can hinder students in completing homework assignments, participating in online tutoring and learning in-demand digital skills. It also limits families’ access to telehealth, job training and social opportunities.
A federal program, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), recognizes this problem and offers subsidies of $30/month – and up to $75/month on tribal lands – for eligible households to pay for internet access. However, most eligible households are not yet taking advantage of ACP according to a 2022 report from the national nonprofit EducationSuperHighway. This includes less than eight percent of households with students who receive free- or reduced-price school lunches.
Fortunately, if state policymakers want to increase ACP enrollment among their eligible populations, there are resources and evidence-based practices that they can use. Below are best practices that state leaders may consider.
Raise Awareness. Governor’s offices, state education and higher education agencies, school districts, nonprofits and other community organizations can share information on social media and in traditional media about ACP. ExcelinEd provides flyers that are easy to download, customize and share. EducationSuperHighway also offers media toolkits.
Set State-Level Goals for ACP Uptake. States vary substantially in terms of the percentage of eligible households that have enrolled in ACP. Recent estimates suggest about 30 percent of eligible households are enrolled on average nationwide. To improve this, state leaders can establish state-level goals and require agencies that work with eligible residents – including departments of education, higher education, human services and more – to raise awareness as part of their regular outreach. There are resources that can help.
For example, Arkansas partnered with EducationSuperHighway to close the affordability gap in broadband access, specifically to “overcome complex awareness, trust, and enrollment barriers that prevent households in the nation’s most under-resourced communities from enrolling in this critical program.”
Provide Easy Proof of Eligibility. ExcelinEd’s Closing the Digital Divide in Education Act model policy describes an opportunity for state departments of education to create certification templates that meet ACP standards for approval. Schools and school districts can customize these templates and distribute them directly to eligible students, providing those families with the proof of eligibility needed when applying for ACP . Higher education agencies can participate in this effort as well by informing PELL Grant recipients of their eligibility for ACP.
Offer Real-Time Enrollment Support. Common Sense and EducationSuperHighway offer free tools to assist families enrolling in ACP, such as checklists, chat features and multilingual telephone helplines. State leaders can promote these tools broadly and target additional outreach to communities with the lowest rates of ACP uptake.
Some states have also allocated resources for one-on-one support. Connect Arizona offers “Digital Navigators,” a team of library staff from across the state to serve as a free help desk for residents via phone or internet chat. In addition to helping residents navigate ACP sign-up, the Digital Navigators also assist residents in learning to use digital tools, conducting online research and general troubleshooting.
Similarly, Tennessee’s State Library and Archives offers Technology Opportunities for the Public (TOPS) Grants for Digital Navigator pilot programs. This is based on successes in other states and cities, such as Salt Lake City, UT.
If states establish clear goals for ACP uptake, proactively raise awareness and help eligible families through the application process, home broadband access for their citizens and students who need it most can increase.
