Digital Divide

Internet connectivity is an essential element of life for most Americans. It’s how students do their homework, how jobseekers apply for employment, how patients stay connected to vital healthcare needs, how families and friends stay in touch and simply how people become fully engaged in everyday affairs large and small. But while many of us take connectivity for granted, tens of millions of people in the U.S. lack access to a reliable, affordable connection. It’s known as a “digital divide,” separating much of America from opportunity and well-being.

AT&T is committed to helping bridge that divide by providing ways for more people to connect. We actively support broadband affordability, access and adoption. We are establishing spaces with free access in communities that most need it. And we are investing our resources and knowledge in advancing the digital skills for people to succeed and thrive. 

In 2023, our efforts to bridge the digital divide centered around AT&T Connected Learning^®, our program to invest in digital inclusion, literacy and education. Our Connected Learning Centers provide learners with high-speed internet access, along with the skills, resources and opportunities that are essential for success in school and in life. In 2023, we:

• Launched 14 additional Connected Learning Centers, for a total of 34 centers at the end of 2023, each providing high-speed AT&T Fiber internet, Wi-Fi and other technology resources to underserved neighborhoods.
• Provided over 162,000 people with technology and computers.
• Reached nearly 174,000 people with digital literacy resources to build skills and confidence in using technology safely and responsibly.
• Reached more than 180,000 students, caregivers and teachers through The Achievery^SM, a free digital learning platform created by AT&T.
• Invested $3 million to continue the launch of a digital navigator program and community-based IT help desk. This effort began in late 2022 and, as of the end of 2023, we have already provided training to more than 300 community members, enabling them to take on navigator roles. We have rolled out initial efforts in Miami, St. Louis, Dallas, and Sacramento, Calif. We’ve trained over 100 navigators in Miami and Sacramento alone.

Governance

With oversight by the Governance and Policy Committee of the AT&T Board of Directors, and awareness throughout the full Board, our strategy for addressing the digital divide involves collaboration across our entire company. That includes business units such as Corporate Responsibility, Public Affairs, Public Policy, External and Legislative Affairs, Network Technology and Operations, Finance, Marketing and Communications.

A Deeper Dive into AT&T Connected Learning^®

Through AT&T Connected Learning^®, we are making strides toward our goal of providing digital resources to 1 million people who need it by 2025.

Connectivity & Computers

A lack of computers and other large-screen devices puts many low-income families at a sizable disadvantage in their educational pursuits and in the job market. We are collaborating with nonprofits to help more people gain access to the technology resources they need to learn and work. These efforts include:

• Connected Learning Centers: Together with our employees and local organizations, we have opened 34 AT&T Connected Learning Centers® in underserved neighborhoods. Each center is housed within a local community organization and provides students and families free access to high-speed AT&T Fiber internet, Wi-Fi and computing devices, as well as opportunities for tutoring and mentorship through our employee-driven volunteerism initiative. We also make educational content available from The Achievery^SM—a K–12 digital learning platform created by AT&T—and other learning resources to help students and families participate in virtual learning and gain digital literacy skills. Our collaborators Dell Technologies and World Wide Technology donate their equipment and services for all AT&T Connected Learning Centers®. Dell provides computers and monitors with integrated audio and webcams to support virtual learning, and World Wide Technology donates its configuration and installation services. In 2023, we opened centers in Indianapolis; Dallas; Miami; Rincon, Calif.; West Palm Beach, Fla.; Houston; St. Louis; on Cherokee Nation; Reno, Nev.; New Orleans; Ukiah, Calif.; Anaheim, Calif; Orlando, Fla.; and El Paso, Texas. As of the end of 2023, we were more than halfway to our goal of opening more than 50 centers nationwide. The centers have been visited more than 14,500 times as of the end of 2023.
• Device Refurbishers: We work with nonprofit device refurbishment partners such as Digitunity, Compudopt, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and Human-I-T to provide technology directly to learners who need it most. In 2023, our free laptop efforts distributed more than 40,000 laptops and Chromebooks across 33 states to students and families.

From 2021 through the end of 2023, we distributed through these programs more than 114,150 devices, impacting more than 200,000 people across 40 states. In 2023, we also provided $11 million in new investments to our collaborators to support future device distribution efforts, including Human-I-T, Compudopt, Digitunity, LISC and United Way of Metropolitan Dallas.

Digital Literacy

Even with access to affordable broadband service, many individuals and families still do not take advantage of connectivity because they lack the skills, knowledge or confidence to navigate the web safely and responsibly. Strong digital literacy skills, including an understanding of privacy and online safety, are crucial for overcoming these barriers. Through our digital literacy initiatives, we help people learn to use computers and mobile devices, navigate the internet and commonly used apps, and participate safely and responsibly in today’s increasingly connected world. We provide free digital literacy resources for parents, caregivers and families through the following:

• Education & Training: Through a collaboration with the Public Library Association (PLA), we offer a collection of more than 20 virtual digital literacy courses to help parents and caregivers build the skills and confidence they need to use technology and support their children’s online learning. These free, self-paced courses are available virtually through AT&T ScreenReady® and PLA’s Digital Learn platform. Together with PLA, Connected Nation and Digitunity, as well as with our employee volunteers and other community collaborators, we also offered 10 in-person digital literacy workshops, including a course on how to access a government subsidy for service. In 2023, more than 54,000 people completed our virtual digital literacy courses. In addition, we helped bring nearly 3,500 bilingual, in-person digital literacy workshops to more than 200 libraries and community centers across the country, training more than 32,000 people.
• Screen Readiness Initiatives: AT&T ScreenReady^® helps parents and families make safe and positive connections on all screens. The website features tips, tools and information to help parents and caregivers set parental controls on their connected devices, navigate digital parenting issues and create the right online and entertainment experience for their families. In 2023, AT&T partnered with National PTA to deliver a new “Ready, Tech, Go!” workshop series in elementary schools. These free workshops were held by local PTAs in 35 underserved elementary schools in 2023. AT&T announced the expansion of this collaboration to bring 200 more workshops to underserved schools during the 2023–2024 school year. All of these free workshops are open to parents and caregivers and provide tools related to screen readiness and promoting a healthy digital home. AT&T also continued its collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics to offer and promote the PhoneReady Questionnaire and a free Family Media Plan to help parents and caregivers make informed decisions about technology use and to create healthy digital habits for their families. In 2023, more than 82,000 people accessed these digital parenting resources, and the Digital Health Association recognized the PhoneReady Questionnaire and Family Media Plan with a Digital Health Award, deeming them some of the best digital health resources in the country for consumers and health professionals. 
• Mexico Digital Citizenship Efforts: AT&T Mexico and the Federal Education Authority in Mexico City launched a digital citizenship program for Mexico City’s 2021–2022 school curriculum. Through the initial program, we helped 2 million students use digital technology efficiently, safely and responsibly, with videos and resources covering digital identity, digital behavior for healthy interactions, digital footprints and cybersecurity. In 2023, we continued the program, impacting an additional 500,000 primary and secondary students, now totaling 2.5 million students.

Digital Education

Learning loss can happen over the summer or during any extended time away from the classroom. To mitigate this loss, we equip students and those who support them with educational content and learning tools to supplement in-class and out-of-class learning. These resources include:

• The Achievery^SM: The Achievery^SM is a free digital platform with learning activities and lessons developed by leading education organizations, aligned to academic standards and reviewed by education experts from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. In 2023, more than 180,000 students, caregivers and teachers participated in learning with The Achievery^SM, and we:
  • Added more than 600 learning units from our content collaborators, for a total of more than 1,000 available learning units. More than 200 of the units are available in Spanish.
  • Engaged leading out-of-school-time providers in bringing The Achievery^SM to underserved students. Providers included Think Together, Camp Fire, Big Thought, City Year, Roadtrip Nation, Hispanic Heritage Foundation and Farmworker Justice.
  • Collaborated with Girl Scouts of the USA to provide access to The Achievery^SM through the Girl Scout Activity Zone during the summer months as part of AT&T’s efforts to address the “Summer Slide.”
• Digital Navigator Program: In 2023, we partnered with three nonprofits—NPower, World Education, Inc. and Byte Back—to launch Digital Navigator programs. Digital navigators are individuals who actively support digital inclusion within communities by working to get community members online, including helping with home connectivity, devices and digital skills. Through Byte Back, the programs have trained over 100 people as digital navigators for their communities in Miami and Sacramento, Calif. NPower has held soft openings of the “IT help desk” service in St. Louis and Dallas as part of the Digital Navigator program. World Education, meanwhile, has worked with four Connected Learning Centers locations to provide digital navigation services. 

Rural Connectivity

Financial and geographical barriers widen the digital divide. Nearly one in four rural Americans say that broadband internet access is a major problem in their community, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts. AT&T has successfully pursued public-private partnerships with states and localities through broadband deployment grants to extend broadband service in rural America at speeds up to and potentially exceeding 1 gigabit per second. For example, in 2023, we launched a partnership with Oldham County, Ky., to provide AT&T Fiber access to every home and small business in the county. This $33 million investment will provide internet access to some 20,000 businesses and households over two years.  

We will continue to pursue government broadband deployment grant opportunities in 2024. These opportunities include funding from the $42.5 billion federal Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) grant program administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). This program prioritizes funding for end-to-end fiber projects to help connect underserved locations in the U.S. 

Affordable Connectivity

Providing low-cost broadband programs is essential to bridging the digital divide. Here are some of the ways we continue to help make low-cost internet service available for qualifying low-income households:

• Access from AT&T: Introduced in 2016, Access from AT&T is a low-cost program for home internet access in the 21 states where we offer wireline home internet services. Access from AT&T provides low-cost internet service for eligible households, with plans costing $30 per month or less and with speeds up to 100 Mbps. Participating households enjoy no annual contract and free installation and in-home Wi-Fi. Households approved for participation in the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) were automatically approved for Access from AT&T in 2023. Households that participate in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are also eligible. To educate potential participants about Access from AT&T, we have connected with national, state and local groups that work with low-income individuals and families. These organizations include those representing veterans, seniors, students, non-English speakers and others, as well as social services groups.
• ACP Participation: AT&T participated in the FCC’s ACP, established by Congress in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. The ACP provided eligible households a benefit²  of up to $30 per month on eligible fixed or mobile internet access service offered by a participating provider, or up to $75 per month for eligible households on qualifying Tribal Lands. When combined with Access from AT&T, eligible households could receive high-speed fixed internet service at no monthly charge. The FCC announced that April 2024 was the last month that ACP households could receive a full ACP benefit unless additional funding was provided by Congress. We are working with customers enrolled in the ACP to find the solution that’s right for them, and we urge the government to act on a more permanent solution. If they fail to do so, we’re committed to providing options to help our customers adjust and to offering them a variety of flexible plans representing excellent value.

Policy Advocacy

AT&T is committed to working with policymakers and stakeholders to ensure people across the country have access to high-speed internet. Our policy positions:

• Broadband Availability: We recommend that policymakers first identify where broadband is available with geographic precision by relying upon the new FCC Broadband Map. Congress adopted and funded the Broadband DATA Act to create this new mapping resource that for the first time identifies broadband service availability at the location level. The new FCC map is continually updated and improved by incorporating feedback from individuals and other stakeholders. It is quickly becoming the new standard and is required for both the allocation and disbursement of funding from programs such as NTIA’s BEAD program. 
• Future-Proof Approaches: AT&T is actively engaged in policy advocacy with NTIA and the states with regard to the BEAD program, recommending policies be designed to encourage broad provider participation, to incentivize robust private sector investments in broadband infrastructure, and ultimately, to get service that is as future-proof as possible to as many homes with connectivity needs as possible.
• Wireless Solutions: Fiber deployments should be prioritized to enable fast, scalable services that provide the most future-proof solutions available. However, policymakers should also give due consideration to wireless solutions where appropriate to help close affordability and availability gaps. 
• Public-Private Partnerships: We believe it takes a collaborative approach between the public and private sectors, as well as smart public policy, to continue bridging the digital divide. For example, Congress has directed substantial federal resources to support broadband deployment and address broadband access needs in areas that may lack a private sector business case for deployment.
• Private Sector Consideration: Policies developed at all levels of government need to work with the market and foster continued private sector investment and innovation by eliminating barriers to connectivity. The private sector has the expertise and a proven track record of meeting demand at the speeds and with the service options and technologies consumers want. 

Stakeholder Engagement

We are committed to building partnerships that will help us further close the digital divide. We engage with groups such as:

• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): In 2021, we provided two years of funding to support 10 computer resource rooms and laptop lending libraries. Support included digital skills coaching to underserved parents and families in more than a dozen community-based organizations around the country. The funding served more than 3,000 individuals throughout 16 LISC Financial Opportunity Center (FOC) partners. In addition, the two-year funding supported training and deployment of digital coaches and specialists in the FOCs. Over the grant period, LISC FOC staff members delivered 295 workshops and provided ongoing digital literacy services to 2,674 clients.
• Dallas Innovation Alliance (DIA): As part of a grant spanning 2022 and 2023, AT&T contributed $1 million to support a digital inclusion initiative led by DIA, a coalition of corporations, civic groups, academia and private individuals invested in Dallas’s evolution as a forward‐thinking, innovative, global smart city. In 2023, DIA launched the expansion of its Connected Dallas website, an online resource hub with comprehensive support for community residents. In addition, DIA utilized funding to provide digital ambassadors and open Connected Dallas tech labs at Innercity Community Development Corp. and Bachman Lake Together.
• United Way of Metropolitan Dallas: AT&T pledged $1 million over the next two years to the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas to support the new Digital Bridges program. The funding will help United Way add more community navigators and provide free laptops to families who need them.
• Cooperative Educational Services: Cooperative Educational Services in New Mexico selected AT&T to provide connectivity solutions for school districts across the state related to school safety, cybersecurity and bus commuting. Powered by FirstNet, Intrado and AT&T ESInet^TM, the new school safety solutions will reduce emergency response times by seamlessly connecting school staff and information systems with first responders. School buses will be Wi-Fi enabled to enable students to stay connected while going to and from school and will also provide FirstNet connectivity for bus drivers in a crisis. AT&T will also provide customized solutions and trust-and-verify tests to prevent cybersecurity breaches for schools.

Research

In 2022, AT&T engaged independent third-party researcher Westat to evaluate the reach and effectiveness of our AT&T Connected Learning® community initiatives. The study uses a Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology to drive deeper understanding of the short- and long-term social, environmental and economic value created through our digital investments. It also incorporates an inclusion analysis that assesses representation of various groups, helping pinpoint areas for improvement to ensure people from different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds can fully participate. The study consists of three primary phases:

Phase I (Sept 2021–Jan 2023) 

• Identified and documented AT&T Connected Learning® (CL) nonprofit organizations’ processes and the people they serve.
• Conducted interviews with AT&T leaders to better understand Connected Learning goals and objectives.
• Implemented and established the foundation for Phase 2 and Phase 3 Connected Learning evaluation activities. 

Phase 2 (Jul 2023–Jul 2024)

• Mapped all AT&T Connected Learning^® initiatives to areas of need (as identified by U.S. Census Bureau data) to ensure CL nonprofit organizations are reaching our target audience.
• Revisited the outcomes of Phase 1 of the study to measure progress and identify strengths and gaps of the Connected Learning resources.
• Established the broader outcomes of programs and impacts associated with Connected Learning and explored approaches to assigning a monetary value to calculate the SROI.
• Implemented program changes and new future AT&T Connected Learning^® investments based on key learnings.

Phase 3 (Jul 2024–Mar 2025)

• Revisit and summarize results of quantitative and qualitative research and other findings from Phase 1 and Phase 2.
• Update outcomes and findings to include the analysis of individuals from different racial/ethnic backgrounds (as identified by U.S. Census Bureau data) to determine reach and services.
• Estimate the impact and broader outcomes (socioeconomic benefits) of the AT&T Connected Learning® program.
• Issue final SROI evaluation report and infographic.

To date, Westat has conducted 45 focus groups and interviews with 101 of the Connected Learning nonprofit organizations and service recipients and completed 12 Connected Learning Centers site visits. They also compiled case studies on Connected Learning Centers and digital literacy workstreams. Based on Westat’s preliminary insights, we have made various adjustments and advancements:

• Created a model to describe the CL initiative and show the contributions of each workstream in supporting our goal of reaching 1 million people.
• Mapped where CL initiatives are delivered to ensure nonprofit collaborators reach the geographies and audiences in highest need.
• Established a participant advisory committee of NGOs, recipients and nonprofit organizations to review and give feedback on the evaluation process.
• Created case study frameworks for Connected Learning Centers and digital literacy efforts, including site visits, focus groups and observations of skills gained.
• Incorporated software for measuring, analyzing and monetizing the program’s social values.
• Included Microsoft Office Suite software on all refurbished Windows-based devices.
• Increased availability of Affordable Connectivity Program educational materials and created related training.³

The final report, expected in 2025, will help us understand whether our investments are effectively supporting economic mobility and reducing digital poverty. 

In April 2024, we announced a new commitment to help bridge the digital divide. We are committing an additional $3 billion, for a total of $5 billion by 2030. This cumulative commitment includes an ambitious goal to help 25 million people get and stay connected to affordable, high-speed internet access throughout this decade. 

In 2024, we are continuing to reach people in need of connectivity, digital literacy and digital learning through the following initiatives: 

• Together with the Public Library Association and other collaborators, we will continue to offer digital literacy courses, resources and workshops in public libraries and community settings.
• Together with the American Academy of Pediatrics, we will launch a new Healthy Digital Habits Toolkit for Parents, including tips and resources for parents, caregivers and families, available through AT&T ScreenReady®. We will also bring hundreds more educational videos, lessons and learning activities in both English and Spanish to The Achievery^SM and reach more students at home, in their communities and in the classroom.
• We will continue to work with Digitunity, Compudopt and Human-I-T to support the distribution of free laptops to students and families across the country. In collaboration with Compudopt, Digitunity, Human-I-T and LISC, we will continue to build on our work in providing refurbished devices to K–12 learners and their families in need. All devices will come with digital navigation and digital literacy services provided by the nonprofit collaborator.
• We will continue our support of the Digital Navigator program to help communities get the most out of low-cost broadband. We are collaborating with nonprofit organizations that will train and deploy community digital navigators and launch digital navigators in selected Connected Learning Centers. 
• We will continue to expand our number of AT&T Connected Learning Centers® nationwide, in part by partnering with national organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and National Urban League.
• We will continue to pursue government broadband deployment grant opportunities as part of our effort to extend high-speed access to rural and other areas that lack it.
• We will continue to support digital safety for students in Mexico and CIBERBienestar. The new collaboration with the Ministry of Public Education of the state of Nuevo León and Education to Share is designed for teachers to develop strategies to build a healthy and conscious culture of technology use. We estimate we will impact 1.5 million primary and secondary students through the program.
• We will also continue our collaboration with Westat—as outlined above—to measure and evaluate the reach and effectiveness of our Connected Learning community initiatives.

• Access from AT&T
• American Academy of Pediatrics
• Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
• AT&T Digital Divide website
• AT&T Connected Learning^®
• AT&T Connected Learning^® courses
• AT&T ESInet^TM
• AT&T ScreenReady^®
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America
• Broadband DATA Act
• Byte Back
• Compudopt
• Connected Nation
• Cooperative Educational Services
• Dallas Innovation Alliance
• Digital Learn
• Digitunity
• Family Media Plan
• FirstNet
• Girl Scout Activity Zone
• Human-I-T
• Innercity Community Development Corp.
• Intrado
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation
• National PTA
• National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program
• National Urban League
• NPower
• PhoneReady Questionnaire
• Public Library Association
• The Achievery^SM
• The Pew Charitable Trusts
• United Way of Metropolitan Dallas
• World Education, Inc.