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Mind the Gap: Closing the Digital Divide Through Affordability, Access, and Adoption

What new research from Connected Nation uncovers about the real-world challenges to closing the Digital Divide

“It is all too easy for us to make assumptions about why a family or individual is not subscribing to high-speed internet,” said Tom Ferree, Chairman & CEO, CN. “But Connected Nation’s staff has worked in the space of digital equity and inclusion for more than twenty years, and we have learned in that time that the answer is not always the obvious one.”

LINK TO THE PDF REPORT
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This report supported by

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What is the Afforable Connectivity Program (ACP)?

The Affordable Connectivity Program is an federal benefit program that helps ensure that households can afford the broadband they need for work, school, health care and more.

The benefit provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands.

Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers.

Who did we survey?

1,758 households in total
453 Low-income households
5 cities of residence

Where did we survey?

These cities were chosen due to their regional significance, population sizes, and the fact  that each of these metropolitan areas is served by AT&T internet service (which is supported by the ACP). Connected Nation explored how people in these areas feel about internet adoption, their awareness of the ACP, and how best to close the Digital Divide.

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Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Cleveland, Ohio

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Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas

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Charlotte, North Carolina

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San Francisco, California

Report Statistics

Figure 1 Chart

As Figure 1 below shows, out of all low-income households nearly 3 out of 4 (72.4%) subscribe to home internet service that they can access on a computer, and those challenges continue to this day.

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Mind The Gap Fig 8 Square V2

One-third of low-income respondents (33%) say they participate in the ACP (Figure 8). This leaves nearly one-third of low-income households (31.1%) who are aware of the ACP but choose not to participate. Put another way, nearly one-half of low-income households that are aware of the program do not participate, while the largest share of low-income respondents remains unaware the program exists.

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Mind The Gap Fig 9 Square

More than 1 in 4 nonparticipating low-income households (26.2%) have not explored what steps they need to take to enroll in the program, while more than 1 in 5 (21.1%) believe that their internet service provider does not participate in the ACP. Following that, 18.4% of nonparticipating low-income respondents fear that the sign-up process is too long or complicated; they have concerns about long-term commitments and the potential for rising future costs; and hesitate because they do not feel comfortable sharing the information they believe will be needed to enroll.

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Mind The Gap Fig 11 Square

When asked whether household members use their internet connections (via a smartphone, computer, or both) to participate in video meetings, nearly all respondents who participate in the ACP (99%) say they do so. The ACP also helps promote telework, as nearly 94% of participating respondents said they use their internet connections to work from home. More than 4 out of 5 participants (81.8%) use their internet connections for homework or to conduct research for school, while a slightly larger share (88.1%) take online classes.

These findings show that ACP helps families, communities, and the workplace in numerous ways that can positively impact the country today and into the future.

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Key Takeaways

  • Households in the Dallas/Fort Worth area had the highest internet adoption rates; 94.9% of households reported having home internet service, whereas only 5.1% of households did not.
  • Two other markets, Charlotte and San Francisco also had home internet adoption rates above the sample average – at 86.2% and 84.9%, respectively.
  • Meanwhile, Milwaukee and Cleveland exhibit home internet adoption rates well below the sample average; only 68% of households surveyed in Milwaukee had home internet service, and fewer than two out of three households in Cleveland (65.7%) had home internet service.

One-third of low-income respondents (33%) say they participate in the ACP. This leaves nearly one-third of low-income households (31.1%) who are aware of the ACP but choose not to participate.

  • Fewer than 2 out of 3 low-income survey respondents (64.2%) are familiar with the program.
  • Fewer than one-half of low-income respondents who do not currently subscribe to home internet service (48%) are aware of the ACP.
  • Low-income respondents who choose not to participate do so for a variety of reasons, the topmost being concerns about eligibility (cited by 30.5% of non-participating low-income households).
  • The ACP also helps promote telework, as nearly 94% of participating respondents said they use their internet connections to work from home.
  • More than four out of five participants (81.8%) use their internet connections for homework or to conduct research for school, while a slightly larger share (88.1%) take online classes.