Free broadband’s great, but not enough
More than 99% of homes in Allegheny County can get ultra-fast internet speeds where they live — but only 76% have actually signed up. While the cost of service has historically been one barrier among many for the remaining 24% still offline, a new federal program will provide free internet connections to those who need it. Pennsylvania is on the cusp of a historic milestone: universally affordable broadband service.
But that doesn’t mean universal participation. Other serious barriers to full participation in the digital economy remain. Installation of network infrastructure projects alone will not be enough. The larger challenge will be reaching and enrolling people who have fast service available to them but still aren’t connected.
The federal government’s new Affordable Connectivity Program — combined with broadband providers’ commitments to lower prices for low-income customers — means roughly 48 million U.S. households may now get home internet service at no outof-pocket cost. We need a statewide enrollment effort encouraging Pennsylvanians to check their eligibility at GetInternet.gov.
As the executive director of Computer Reach, I witness on a daily basis the need for broadband internet connection in Western Pennsylvania. The number of children who couldn’t access remote schooling during COVID-19 revealed the real costs of being excluded from the digital world. Health care and other basic needs increasingly operate through websites and connections.
For the low-income families we work with, the ACP ensures internet service will no longer have to compete against grocery bills, rent or other essentials in families’ tight budgets. But even with the cost of internet service now eliminated, other obstacles remain.
What are those other barriers? One in 6 adults lack the basic computer skills needed to use email or search the internet, making it hard to navigate a signup page, much less thrive with Zoom or Google meetings online. And 26% of adults nationwide report needing someone else’s help to set up and use a computer or tablet.
The digital cap isn’t just a matter of computer skills. It’s a matter of equipment. According to 2020 census data, more than 1 in 10 homes in Allegheny County do not have a computer. This figure increases for more rural counties such as Washington, Beaver and Westmoreland. The figures are most dire in the most rural counties, where over 2 in 10 households do not have a computer.
There are other barriers as well. There are deep-seated sociological and structural factors — language barriers, housing insecurity, mistrust of “free broadband” promises and skepticism that the online world really offers much of value. Simply offering broadband for free is not a cureall. We must reach and build trust with the people who aren’t yet using the internet to help them understand and embrace the opportunities and benefits it could unlock.
These challenges can’t be solved from a legislative hearing room creating policies and funding programs. Success hinges on mobilizing a network of nonprofit “digital navigators” — people trained to help community members get a connection, get computers and develop digital skills, working with them in their neighborhoods or homes and giving them one-on-one support. This has already been piloted successfully in communities from Salt Lake City to Philadelphia, offering a template we could scale across the state.
These programs can double as public service announcements to raise awareness of the ACP’s offer of free home internet service. Just like the Affordable Care Act required years of high-touch enrollment campaigns to expand health care coverage, we now need a comparable enrollment campaign to get every eligible family signed up for the ACP.
Nonprofits like Pittsburgh’s Computer Reach can connect families in need to both low-cost devices and skills training. (Computer Reach is supported by individual donations, grants from foundations and corporate partners like Comcast and EQT, and computer donations from school districts and tech companies.)
Public funding (federal, state, local) is available to support this kind of all-hands-on-deck mobilization. Pennsylvania received a $7.3 billion influx from last year’s American Rescue Plan pandemic relief bill and is sitting on a multibillion-dollar budget surplus. Pittsburgh received an additional $335 million directly from the relief plan.
Pennsylvania and D.C. policymakers need to understand that installing fiber and cable networks are only one part of closing Pennsylvania’s digital divide. We need to do more to create true digital inclusion. Policymakers should use a portion of this windfall to help expand broadband adoption and digital participation for all counties across Pennsylvania.
The Infrastructure Act can usher in a new era of digital opportunity for our state. But to give taxpayers the greatest possible return on these investments, we need an equally ambitious commitment to equipping and empowering every member of our community to connect effectively.
Let’s not skip the critical step of focusing on people’s needs, not just network needs. That risks losing out on this historic opportunity to help close our digital divide across Pennsylvania and concretely improve the lives of Pennsylvanians.