CEO Evan Marwell estimates about half of those families include school-age children. 

鈥淭he narrative is that it鈥檚 been about building infrastructure in rural America,鈥� Marwell said, but added, 鈥渁fter decades of investment, affordability is now the biggest problem.鈥� 

In 43 states, the inability to pay for internet service accounts for more than half of the digital divide 鈥� even in those with large rural populations, according to the report, entitled 鈥淣o Home Left Offline.鈥�

Congress included a $7.1 billion Emergency Broadband Benefit in the American Rescue Plan last March, but less than 17 percent of eligible households have signed up, the report said. A lack of awareness of the program, skepticism over whether the benefit will actually cover internet costs and confusing enrollment procedures are the primary obstacles to participation, the authors note.

Since the start of the pandemic, millions of students have missed out on learning because of insufficient internet access because they lack stable or strong-enough connections to complete tests, upload assignments and interact with teachers and classmates over Zoom. Problems with technology are among the reasons for high absenteeism rates among remote learners, an issue that has persisted this year with students in quarantine. Experts say states and communities need strong and targeted marketing campaigns to get wary families to take advantage of free and discounted programs.

The report comes as the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package 鈥� which includes $65 billion for broadband 鈥� awaits a vote in the House. The bill renames the benefit the Affordable Connectivity Fund and allocates $14.2 billion to make it permanent.

鈥楥an鈥檛 rely on volunteers鈥�

The federal benefit program primarily serves existing customers who have faced economic setbacks because of the pandemic 鈥� not those who have never subscribed to an internet provider, according to the report. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 important, Marwell said, to have staff dedicated to getting students connected.

鈥淥ne of the big takeaways from the pandemic is you can鈥檛 rely on volunteers,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou need paid staff, and you need really specific data about who you are trying to sign up.鈥�

In Little Rock, Arkansas, Maddie Long is already doing that work.
On a break from finishing her master鈥檚 in Indigineous studies at the University of Kansas, she was working as a landscaper in Little Rock when she saw the opening for an fellow. Heartland Forward, a think tank focusing on the needs of states in the middle of the country, is funding the position to help reduce the digital divide.

Now Long attends community events, such as a recent vaccination clinic at the Guatemalan consulate, to talk to those who qualify and provide flyers about the program for the Little Rock School District to stuff in food pantry bags for families.

Parents, she said, are sometimes resistant because they鈥檝e heard the benefit will run out when the pandemic is over (That鈥檚 true unless the infrastructure bill passes). The program also includes a one-time $100 credit toward a device, but participants have to get it through their internet provider, which may not be participating in that part of the program

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that was set up in the most user-friendly manner,鈥� she said. 鈥淓very federal benefit has its own challenges.鈥�

鈥楢 real turn-off鈥� 

The Los Angeles Unified School District is trying another strategy 鈥� using the federal Emergency Connectivity Fund, another part of the American Rescue Plan, to pay for students鈥� at-home internet service. 

Tanya Ortiz Franklin, a Los Angeles school board member, said that while many internet providers launched discounted programs last year, parents would get turned down because of previous late payments or faced increased costs after trial periods. 

鈥淭hat was a real turn-off to a lot of high need families,鈥� she said.

The district was inspired by a , run by the nonprofit Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, that serves over 400 families in three low-income communities in the city. The district has now received responses from 22,000 parents who want to participate in the larger, districtwide program, when the contract is finalized, Franklin said. While the district promotes the Emergency Broadband Benefit, she doubts many families are participating.

鈥淚t鈥檚 another layer,鈥� she said. 鈥淎 lot of these things are super well-intentioned, but the implementation requires so much social work.鈥�

Students who often put up with dropped connections, broken devices or maxed-out wireless plans are also speaking out about improving access to Wi-Fi.

鈥淧eople talk about it, but nothing really gets done,鈥� said Marylin Terrazas, an 11th grader at Travis High School near Houston. She鈥檚 among the Fort Bend Independent School District students producing and moderating a live Nov. 17 broadcast organized by Connected Nation, a nonprofit focused on eliminating the digital divide. 鈥淚 thought this was a great way to spread the word that there are people who need help,鈥� she said.

Joey Dyrud-Lange, the district鈥檚 media production teacher, said lower-income students with parents and grandparents who 鈥渁ren鈥檛 necessarily the most educated on technology鈥� are especially at a disadvantage.

鈥淚 saw a huge gap in learning [last year], and it’s not the students鈥� fault,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey go to extreme lengths on their cell phones to try to access their learning.鈥�

The EducationSuperHighway report recommends 鈥渂roadband adoption centers,鈥� staffed with employees who can help parents enroll in the benefit program. Under the infrastructure bill, the broadband subsidy would drop from $50 a month to $30. With many internet companies already offering low-cost programs for $10 to $15 a month, that鈥檚 more than enough, Marwell said, for companies to not only cover their costs but offer faster internet speeds and even make a profit. 

鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to look at this and say, 鈥楴ow, we have 18 million potential customers. We need to build a business plan to get these people signed up,鈥欌�� Marwell said. 鈥淭he idea that we can do this is not a pipe dream.鈥�