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Hi, I just wanted to make sure you saw the invite for our event tomorrow. This time we'll focus on broadband access, particularly in underserved communities. Did pandemic relief help Americans connect in the crisis?
Below are just a few articles to get you primed for the event.
Thanks! Look forward to having you there,
Lisa
Thanks to the pandemic, broadband is reaching more remote areas in Alaska
“When the United States went into lockdown, many people relied on the Internet to live, to work, to go to school, to shop. All of which was nearly impossible in some rural communities that do not have fast Internet. The pressure of the pandemic has finally brought broadband to some remote areas that did not have it.”
FCC watchdog warns against broadband subsidy fraud
An OIG analysis of enrollment data found that school-based eligibility “is commonly abused by providers and their sales agents as an entry point for fraud in the program. … In short, there are many more EBB-enrolled households that claimed they have a dependent child at certain [high-poverty] schools than students who are actually enrolled in those schools.”
Why billions in broadband money may go to the wrong places
“States and cities are already allocating more than $10 billion in federal pandemic relief to get broadband into underserved communities — the biggest government investment ever toward increasing internet connectivity. Another $42 billion in broadband expansion money is due to come from the bipartisan infrastructure law that President Joe Biden signed this month, but the government won’t start doling that cash out for at least another year.”
Our next event focuses on internet access in underserved communities
December 15th from 1:00pm - 2:15pm ET
Children began attending school online, many businesses transitioned to telework, and medical providers shifted to telehealth appointments. Underserved communities face challenges to get reliable home internet access due to high cost or lack of accessibility in their area.
Congress gave $3.2 billion to help households connect - so far more than 7.4 million households have gotten financial assistance to make internet more affordable.
Did pandemic relief programs bring us closer to bridging
the digital divide?
Join us and register for this event
Speakers include:
Kathryn de Wit, Director of broadband initiatives at the Pew
Charitable Trusts
Evan Marwell, CEO of EducationSuperHighway
Dr. Dominque Harrison, Author of Affordability & Availability: Expanding Broadband in the Black Rural South
Evan Feinman, Chief Broadband Advisor Office of Governor
Ralph S. Northam
Angela Siefer, Executive Director, National Digital Inclusion Alliance
This co-sponsored activity does not constitute or imply an endorsement of NAPA or any of its products or services by the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, CIGIE, or the United States government.
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