US Ignite introduces the Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR) program, a program aimed at enhancing broadband connectivity across rural areas by accelerating the nation’s wireless innovation ecosystem and spreading experimental wireless communications research. Each research platform conceived under the PAWR program will enable at-scale experimentation by supporting the geographic size, technical diversity, and user density representative of a small city or community.

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This resource explores survey results showing the digital divide between high- and low-income Americans remains despite higher ownership rates of smartphones and that people with lower incomes often rely solely on smartphones to access the internet. The author also notes that this disparity is manifest among school-age children as the homework gap, which has been exacerbated by schoolwork moving online during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This case study describes the state of the digital divide in Mesa, Arizona. It highlights partnerships, resources, and opportunities in the community to improve access to and adoption of broadband.

In this blog, EducationSuperHighway describes how Premier Communications reached out to local schools to identify and connect families who were without broadband during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This blog from EducationSuperHighway describes how North Dakota built off the previous work of a state fiber-optic network co-op initiative from the 1990s to provide connectivity to students during the Covid-19 pandemic. The blog details how multiple state agencies collaborated to identify which homes and areas needed service and connectivity. This case demonstrates how crucial the state can be in bridging the home access gap.

This report provides key findings regarding America's K-12 "homework gap." The analysis of new data illustrates how the digital divide affects every state and every type of community, but the divide is more pronounced in rural communities and for Latinx, Black, and Native American households. The report offers an estimate between $6 billion to $11 billion to adequately address and close the digital divide for K-12 public school students in one year.

This report highlights case studies at the state, city, and school district level to provide steps to address and close the digital divide. The three key steps are to assess who needs connectivity and devices and where they live, determine which devices and connectivity options are desirable and available, and find the money to pay for it all. The report details how the best solutions relied on high-level communications and collaboration among all stakeholders.