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Revati Prasad @raveuhtea.bsky.social · Jul 24

“... if we are not able to get people to use this connectivity, all we’ve done is put wires in the ground" -- Benton's Drew Garner making all sorts of sense in www.techpolicy.press/digital-equi...

Digital Equity Advocates Rally to Restore Funds, Sustain Their Work | TechPolicy.Press

Experts say cancellation of Digital Equity Act funding threatens to entrench the digital divide just as AI ushers in a disruptive era of technological change.

www.techpolicy.press

Revati Prasad @raveuhtea.bsky.social · Jul 10

"When we were on it [the ACP], we felt almost normal." -- @johnbhorrigan.bsky.social's latest work on how the loss of the internet subsidy played out in people's lives. www.benton.org/publications...

Budgeting for Broadband: What Losing the ACP Means to Household Budgets and Behavior

When the Affordable Connectivity Program ended, the question for most people was not whether to keep service but how to keep it while juggling other household needs.

www.benton.org

Revati Prasad @raveuhtea.bsky.social · Jun 11

Great piece on what makes deploying broadband difficult. The point about RDOF defaults is especially worth noting as new BEAD guidance similarly prioritizes bidders proposing the lowest cost. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Red Tape Isn’t the Only Reason America Can’t Build

The failure to deploy rural broadband has become synonymous with excessive bureaucracy. The real story is more complicated.

www.theatlantic.com

Revati Prasad @raveuhtea.bsky.social · Jun 2

“You can’t just have one giraffe. You need a herd of giraffes. And turns out giraffes like fiber too.”

Learning about some interesting rural fiber deployment challenges from Bill Hetherington of Bandera Electric Co-op. #Fiber_Connect_2025

Revati Prasad @raveuhtea.bsky.social · Jun 2

What’s that saying? “If it ain’t broke…”
www.benton.org/blog/whats-w...

What's Wrong With West Virginia's BEAD Proposal?

Monday, June 2, 2025 Digital Beat What's Wrong With West Virginia's BEAD Proposal? Read It And Judge For Yourself “When completed, the programs detailed in this Final Proposal will provide universal b...

www.benton.org

Revati Prasad @raveuhtea.bsky.social · May 22

Maine was the first state to have their digital equity plan approved. They know why this work matters, to Mainers and everyone else. www.benton.org/blog/why-lea...

Why Leading with Digital Equity Matters

Maine is the first state in the country to have its Digital Equity Plan approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration

www.benton.org

Revati Prasad @raveuhtea.bsky.social · May 22

Maine, leading on digital equity again. www.pressherald.com/2025/05/21/m...

Maine delegation urges Trump administration to unfreeze digital equity grants

Maine's members of Congress argue that terminating the Digital Equity Act and related grants 'will have an outsized impact on Maine families, small businesses, and communities.'

www.pressherald.com

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Revati Prasad @raveuhtea.bsky.social · May 14

The Digital Equity Act not “based on race” Politifact finds — www.politifact.com/factchecks/2...

Trump falsely called internet program a racial ‘handout’

President Donald Trump said that the Digital Equity Act is a “handout based on race” and illegal. Congress approved the act to expand broadband access to many groups, not just racial minorities.

www.politifact.com

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Revati Prasad @raveuhtea.bsky.social · May 9

While 80 percent of White adults report having a broadband connection at home, smaller shares of Black and Hispanic adults say the same—71 percent and 65 percent, respectively.
www.benton.org/blog/race-et...

Race, Ethnicity, and Digital Equity

The impact of racial discrimination on broadband adoption

www.benton.org

Revati Prasad @raveuhtea.bsky.social · May 9

Less than 60 percent of rural households have broadband service. mikeconlow.substack.com/p/comparing-...

Comparing broadband access to adoption in urban, suburban, and rural America

One of the very first posts I wrote on this site, in December 2020, was a comparison of how many people have access to broadband versus how many people have subscribed to broadband service.

mikeconlow.substack.com

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Revati Prasad @raveuhtea.bsky.social · May 9

About 15 percent of U.S. Veterans lack the connectivity they need for telehealth and other services.
connectedcare.va.gov/sites/defaul...

connectedcare.va.gov

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Revati Prasad @raveuhtea.bsky.social · May 9

Before this law was passed, researchers found that 22 million American seniors (42 percent) did not have wired broadband. oats.org/wp-content/u...

oats.org

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Revati Prasad @raveuhtea.bsky.social · May 9

97 percent of households that make over $75,000 have home broadband. For households making less than $20,000? That number is less than 72 percent.
data.census.gov/table/ACSST5...

data.census.gov

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Revati Prasad @raveuhtea.bsky.social · May 9

How can the most online President ever be against getting all Americans online?
www.benton.org/blog/achievi...

Achieving Digital Equity is a Matter of Social and Economic Justice and is Worth Pursuing

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society statement on the announcement that the Trump administration will end Digital Equity Act programs

www.benton.org

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Revati Prasad @raveuhtea.bsky.social · May 2

new role, who dis? www.benton.org/blog/buildin...

Building on Our Foundation Towards Broadband for All

Dr. Revati Prasad is the new Executive Director of the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

www.benton.org

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Revati Prasad @raveuhtea.bsky.social · Apr 10

So excited about our new fellows. They're tackling issues like climate risk, accountability mechanisms, and how our institutions and policies can impact people’s ability to access and use the internet.

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society Announces Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fund Fellowships Examining Barriers to Broadband

Latest cohort of researchers supported by Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fund

www.benton.org

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Revati Prasad @raveuhtea.bsky.social · Apr 9

But as @johnbhorrigan.bsky.social's analysis of American Community Survey data showed (and has consistently shown) that people over 60 are less likely to have home internet access or appropriate devices to access these services online.

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Revati Prasad @raveuhtea.bsky.social · Apr 9

New rules require seniors to seek services online or travel in-person to social security offices.
wamu.org/story/25/04/...

New Social Security rules will create hurdles for millions of seniors, report finds

A new report from a left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities finds that upcoming changes to Social Security will amount to a "45-mile trip for some 6 million seniors."

wamu.org

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