The federal Affordable Connectivity Program provides up to $30 a month to pay for internet service. State participation rate is lower than the national rate.
Digital Divide
Posted inBusiness, News
The $30 broadband credit little used in Colorado takes effort from low-income users. Here’s how to qualify.
A visit to Denver by a Federal Communications Commissioner this month to promote a little-used broadband discount left some households even more confused about how to actually benefit. The Affordable Connectivity Program, which offers low-income households $30 to $75 a month to offset internet costs, has been claimed by about 27% of eligible users nationwide […]
Posted inNews
FCC visits Denver to tout free internet subsidy that 80% of eligible Coloradans are ignoring
About 80% of Colorado households eligible for $30 to $75 a month to pay for internet service don’t seem to want the free benefit. Or perhaps, they just don’t know about it. That’s why Geoffrey Starks, a commissioner with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, dropped by A.B. Hirschfeld Towers in Denver on Wednesday. He wanted […]
Posted inBusiness, Equity, News, Technology
How some low-income Colorado households are getting gigabit-internet service
Federal funding to pay for internet service took off in the pandemic with programs that provided up to $50 a month to Americans who couldn’t otherwise afford a broadband connection. But even before COVID, many local internet providers had taken it upon themselves to lower the cost of broadband. There’s a push to address digital […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News, Technology
Colorado will get at least $100 million, possibly $1 billion, from infrastructure bill to end digital divide
Colorado’s efforts to end its rural digital divide could finally happen with the $1 trillion U.S. infrastructure bill, currently awaiting President Joe Biden’s signature. At least $100 million for broadband infrastructure will end up in Colorado, but it could be much more, said Tony Neal-Graves, chief information officer and executive director of the Colorado Office […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News, Politics and Government, Technology
Hundreds of thousands of Coloradans qualify for a $50 broadband internet credit. So why aren’t they seizing it?
A $50 credit on monthly internet service could mean the difference between having broadband and not having internet at all. But from the looks of federal data, there hasn’t been much interest in claiming the money made available by the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. The program launched in May and provides low-income consumers up to […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News, Politics and Government, Technology
Colorado reaches 91% rural broadband coverage as efforts to improve internet for Ute Tribes move forward
One look at Colorado’s official broadband map and Bernadette Cuthair will tell you it’s wrong. As the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe’s director of planning & development, Cuthair has been working to help her community access faster internet service. But the current broadband map makes it seem like the southwestern town of Towaoc, the base for […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Education, News
How southern Colorado is working to bridge the digital divide in schools
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Colorado teachers, parents and students have been forced to adapt to periods of remote learning. Kitchens, bedrooms, living rooms and offices have been converted into temporary classrooms as students try to absorb new material through small boxes on a computer screen. But some families have struggled to adapt more than others. […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: As county commissioners, we see smart ways to close Colorado’s digital divide
Colorado’s digital divide spans both rural and urban areas of our state, but it’s two different divides and two different challenges. The Rural Divide is primarily an infrastructure problem: At least 100,000 Coloradans don’t have connectivity to high-speed broadband networks. In urban areas, it’s an Adoption Divide – world-class networks are available almost everywhere, but […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Amid a digital divide, we must connect American communities for the future
The COVID-19 pandemic brought on a tumultuous year for families and businesses across the country, and issues that have laid dormant for too long are now coming to light. A recent Gallup survey showed about one in three Americans are working remotely as a result of the pandemic, and about two-thirds of those working from […]