The Covid-19 pandemic has heightened the awareness of the stark digital divide that, unaddressed, will widen the gap between those with access and those without.
Due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic, on December 27, 2020, the President signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. The Act establishes an Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund of $3.2 billion under which eligible households may receive a discount off the cost of broadband service and certain connected devices during an emergency period relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, and participating providers can receive a reimbursement for such discounts.
It's undeniable, people need access to the internet. Broadband access affects educational achievements indirectly and in combination with other factors. Even if we control for socioeconomic and other factors that might be in play, students with no home access, slow home access, or cell-only access had approximately half a letter grade lower overall GPAs than students with fast home internet access—essentially the difference between a B- and a B average (What COVID-19 Underscores About How Broadband Connectivity Affects Educational Attainment, 2020).
Our desire at Emerios is to help connect 4 – 6 million households to Emergency Broadband benefits in partnership with our Telecom clients leveraging our proven Enrollment and Verification Platform. Since 2008, few organizations have helped more people enroll, qualify, and gain access to critical technology and connectivity benefits than Emerios.
With the additional government funding that has been allocated to help households stay connected during the pandemic, Emerios is poised to help enable qualifying people to receive these benefits as soon as possible.
As an experienced enrollment and verification provider in this space, Emerios is here to support organizations seeking to participate in this program.
To learn more about this incredible opportunity to help those in need and significantly grow your customer base, schedule a consultation with an Emerios team member today
Reference:
What COVID-19 Underscores About How Broadband Connectivity Affects Educational Attainment. (2020, December 8). Pew Research. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2020/12/08/what-covid-19-underscores-about-how-broadband-connectivity-affects-educational-attainment
