This research brief derives data from the Common Sense Census, which reveal that children of color have been far more likely to experience disruptions in learning due to a lack of digital access than white students. The results of the study also illustrate the economic inequality in education that was exacerbated by the pandemic.

This resource from Chiefs for Change provides an overview of methods schools and wireless providers have used to provide connectivity to students during Covid-19, including providing wireless hotspots, creating partnerships with local service providers, and using CARES Act funding to support educational connectivity.

This resource gathers insights from the SXSW EDU 2021 conference about how education, health care, and entertainment are the three biggest drivers of demand for robust, universal broadband. The various insights acknowledge how smartphones are not adequate devices for education, how a more complete understanding of the digital divide is required to properly address it, and how robust broadband is not a cure-all.

This resource describes the transition high-speed internet access from a luxury to a necessity. The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the true depth of the digital divide, but new funding has also delivered advances in telehealth availability and equitable remote learning. The resource discusses pandemic-drive programs that emerged in response to Covid-19, such as the Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, as well as the benefits of leveraging this momentum for long-term progress in broadband accessibility.

This resource provides four steps to increase E-Rate connectivity and competition. Empowering schools and libraries to take advantage of competition helps drive down the cost of connectivity and the E-Rate program provides the discounts to make broadband internet access more affordable.

This resource discusses results of Census Pulse surveys that show device availability has increased during the pandemic, whereas internet access at home has not grown. The availability patterns play out along familiar lines of household income. It can be interpreted that it has been easier to deliver computers to students than it has been to provide internet access.

This blog argues that offering low-cost devices can be just as important as broadband service. Connected devices are critical components of digital inclusion efforts and the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program may be a lost opportunity if the program does not also help households get affordable devices.

This broadband plan from the state of Alaska, published in 2019, reviews broadband-related challenges unique to Alaska, the current state of broadband in Alaska, strides made in the five years since the 2014 Alaska Broadband Plan, and recommendations for continued progress through 2024.