Equity Fact Sheet: How Internet for All Investments Are Reaching Underserved Communities

High-speed Internet service powers education and the economy. It supports access to health care and education, and it connects us to our neighbors and to those we love. People without Internet service are forced to go without fundamental necessities. The latest NTIA Internet Use Survey shows that roughly 1 in 6 American households aren't connected to the Internet. That's a sixth of our country that's unable to fully participate in modern life. Rural communities, Tribal lands, communities of color and low-income neighborhoods in the U.S. see lower rates of access to and adoption of high-speed Internet service.

The Biden-Harris Administration’s Internet for All initiative addresses the Nation’s digital divide by bringing high-speed Internet availability, device affordability, and digital literacy to left-behind communities. We are already seeing progress. The number of Internet users in the United States climbed by 13 million between 2021 and 2023. The nearly $50 billion Internet for All investments are reaching the communities facing the greatest barriers.

Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) - $3 billion

• TBCP is a first-of-its-kind program to meet the needs of Tribal communities. To date, NTIA has awarded $1.86 billion in awards to 226 Tribal entities — the largest ever investment in high-speed Internet service on Tribal Lands. TBCP has connected or lowered Internet costs for more than 4,500 Tribal homes, with many more to come.
• Places receiving TBCP funds are disproportionately rural. About 72% of TBCP investments have been directed to rural counties.  
• In communities benefiting from TBCP funds, an average of 29% of prime-age workers are either unemployed or out of the labor force—eight percentage points higher than the national average.  

Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program (CMC) - $268 million

• NTIA has awarded $262.8 million to 93 Minority-Serving Institutions to purchase Internet service and necessary equipment, hire and train IT staff, upgrade classroom technology, and boost digital literacy skills.
• These funds are opening doors to the neighborhoods around Minority Serving Institutions—where populations are 71% Hispanic or non-White and the poverty rate is 26%, both figures about double the national average.

Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP) - $288 million

• BIP expands high-speed Internet availability to areas without service, especially to rural areas. The funding is successfully reaching lower-income, largely rural communities.  
• About 80% of the counties receiving BIP funds are rural.  
• In communities benefiting from BIP funds, average household incomes are 80% of the national average.  
• So far, BIP has connected 40,000 previously unserved households, nearly 3,000 businesses, and more than 130 community anchor institutions (like schools and libraries) by constructing or upgrading more than 2,750 miles of fiber. 

Enabling Middle Mile Infrastructure Program (Middle Mile) - $1 billion

• Middle Mile has awarded $940 million to 36 organizations across 38 states and territories to deploy, lease, or upgrade networks which increases our nation’s network resilience and lowers the cost of connecting homes and small businesses.
• Forty-three percent of U.S. counties will benefit from new and upgraded resilient middle-mile connections delivered by the Program.
• More than half (57%) of Middle Mile funding is going to rural counties.