No Home Left Offline: Closing the Digital Divide For Public Housing Residents
Urge broadband leaders to invest in closing the broadband affordability gap that keeps millions of Americans offline
NAHRO and EducationSuperHighway, a national non-profit with the mission to close the digital divide for the 17 million households that have access to the Internet but can’t afford to connect, are working in partnership to help PHAs get access to BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) funding. Currently, 20-25% of the digital divide is concentrated in affordable multi-dwelling units (MDUs). PHAs can immediately impact the digital divide in communities by urging their state broadband offices to allocate federal funding to bring high-speed internet to residents in public housing.
As we learned during the pandemic, internet access is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity. Unfortunately, millions of Americans still struggle to get online because they cannot afford an available internet connection. This broadband affordability gap disproportionately impacts households living in multi-family and public housing, preventing students from completing online assignments, job seekers from searching and applying for employment opportunities, and individuals from accessing telehealth or government resources.
Fortunately, state broadband offices hold the key to closing the digital divide and achieving universal service through the strategic allocation of BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) funds. The following states are preparing to make the most significant broadband investments in history using their share of $42.5 billion BEAD and Digital Equity Act funds:
- Alabama
- Florida
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- West Virginia,
- District of Columbia,
PHAs in these states can email their state broadband director asking them to use available broadband funding to connect their residents to high-speed, reliable internet.
NAHRO looks forward to continuing its partnership with EducationSuperHighway to help get needed broadband funding to PHAs and housing providers across the country.