{"content":[{"text":"THE AFFORDABILITY CHALLENGE \n The key barrier for students in Los Angeles is affordability. families are currently served by subsidized internet plans, \n Broadband infrastructure is a fundamental issue, as ISPs fervently resist transparency on this. However, \n particularly in rural areas, but the biggest issue for most according to the USC-CETF survey, 62% of unconnected \n unconnected and under-connected households is cost. or smartphone-only households are not even aware of \n A 2021 survey of California households by USC and discount internet plans. Additionally, the Partnership’s \n California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) found earlier research has documented the many barriers that \n that 68% of households that didn’t have an internet families face in trying to access these plans. Far too \n connection cited cost as a principal reason (compared to many families are unable to afford high-quality internet \n 34% who said it wasn’t available where they lived). service, so they remain unconnected, or struggle to pay \n for market-rate plans that are not sustainable for their \n Internet service providers (ISPs) operate as lightly \n finances, exacerbating the inequities already permeating \n regulated monopolies in much of the state. According \n our education system. \n to an analysis of California Public Utilities Commission \n data by Dr. Hernan Galperin, Associate Professor \n New resources are available \n of Communication at USC’s Annenberg School of \n Communication, only about half of Californians had a Billions of federal relief dollars are flowing into California \n choice of high-speed internet service providers. The from recent legislation. In addition to more general \n problem is greatest in low-income communities of color, allocations that can be used to support broadband, \n which often have only one provider. Without strong Congress has established two specific programs — \n competition, regulation or incentive to serve low-income Emergency Broadband Benefit and E-rate — to support \n communities, internet providers maximize profits by internet adoption. \n offering lower-quality service at higher prices. \n The bottom line is that an influx of substantial resources \n Discounted internet service offers remain inaccessible \n are on the way to address internet access and affordability. \n to most families. No public data exists for how many","bbox":{"left":0.088235,"top":0.068182,"width":0.8235290000000001,"height":0.406161}},{"text":"Billions of relief dollars are available: \n $3.2 $7.2 \n BILLION BILLION \n was allocated to the was added to the E-rate \n Emergency Broadband program to reimburse \n Benefit program to school districts 100% \n provide low-income of the cost of home \n households with $50 connectivity purchases for \n monthly subsidies for K-12 households through \n broadband internet. one year after the formal \n end to the pandemic.","bbox":{"left":0.088235,"top":0.506818,"width":0.382354,"height":0.21994900000000006}},{"text":"Additionally, billions more have been proposed: \n $2 $7 \n TRILLION BILLION \n President Joe Biden’s $2 Governor Newsom’s May \n trillion infrastructure plan 2021 budget proposal \n includes $100 billion for includes a $7 billion \n broadband. investment in broadband.","bbox":{"left":0.527288,"top":0.506818,"width":0.38191200000000003,"height":0.159343}},{"text":"Will the funds reach the families and students \n who need them? \n These resources are welcome news, but the same \n barriers that have long stood in the way of families \n experiencing poverty still remain. For the Emergency \n Broadband Benefit for example, families will need to \n find the opportunity, apply for it by providing required \n documentation that they may not have, and then navigate","bbox":{"left":0.088235,"top":0.784434,"width":0.39661799999999997,"height":0.13563100000000006}},{"text":"processes set up by ISPs through whom the benefit is \n being managed. For the majority of families who face \n long-standing barriers to accessing government services, \n these benefits will likely remain out of reach. Even the \n decades-old Lifeline telephone program only reaches \n 27% of eligible households, for example. However, \n concerted and targeted efforts could make an impact, \n which is where school districts like LA Unified come in.","bbox":{"left":0.514706,"top":0.784434,"width":0.387533,"height":0.12330800000000008}},{"text":"Bringing Broadband Home","bbox":{"left":0.067386,"top":0.959596,"width":0.162512,"height":0.015522999999999954}},{"text":"June 2021","bbox":{"left":0.506747,"top":0.960414,"width":0.062205999999999984,"height":0.015522999999999954}},{"text":"Partnership for Los Angeles Schools","bbox":{"left":0.612375,"top":0.960409,"width":0.21591800000000005,"height":0.015522999999999954}},{"text":"2","bbox":{"left":0.918296,"top":0.959596,"width":0.007816000000000045,"height":0.015619999999999967}}],"images_bbox":[],"images_bbox_not_text_overlap":[]}