Most Eligible Households Not Signing Up for Broadband Discount

First there was the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program, part of the COVID-19 response by the federal government, that offered low-income households a discount of $50 per month on their internet connection through participating providers. Now, the temporary EBB is being replaced by a permanent program, the Affordable Connectivity Program, with a monthly $30 subsidy. Both of these programs appear to address a long-standing challenge in America - how to get Americas most vulnerable households to connect. 

The problem is, eligible Americans don't seem to be responding. Only 7 million households (out of an estimated 37 million eligible households) have not taken advantage of the subsidy. Why? Here are some possible reasons.

1. There may not be a suitable service available where they live. If the available internet at you home is slow as to be useless, even a susidy makes it hard to justify.
2. Their provider may not be participating. The EBB, and the Affordable Connectivity Program, are both funded through providers, and a sizeable number of providers have chosen not to participate. Why? For some it was the fear of signing up under the EBB, getting people used to a subsidy, then Washington failing to enact a permanent program. No one wants to tell a family that their internet service is going up $50 a month. For other providers, it was the. perceived or real barrier of dealing with federal reporting and "red tape".
3. They may not know about it. I believe this is the number one reason for slow adoption. Unless your participating provider is reaching out directly to customers to promote the program, you' may not be aware the opportunity exists.

Internet providers are going to start signing up to participate in the Affordable Connectivity Program soon. Let's hope that more provides decide it's worth a little extra work to connect their friends and neighbors in need of broadband but without the means to do so on their own. And let's hope that all providers make it a priority to conduct the customer outreach that is needed to increase awareness and connect more families.