The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) shed light on where funding from its Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program is flowing, providing a state-by-state breakdown of its enrollment numbers.
California led the way with 338,069 households signed up, followed by Texas with 195,211 and Ohio with 187,552. New York and Florida rounded out the top five with 161,681 and 160,790 households receiving benefits, respectively.
The agency for the first time also offered deeper regional detail using zip code prefixes, with this data showing the highest enrollment in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Los Angeles, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Cleveland, Ohio.
In a speech delivered during an Open Technology Institute webinar on Tuesday, Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said the zip code data is “more granular than the statewide data we’ve issued to date and we are hoping it can be used to help improve our understanding of where the program is reaching consumers.”
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The EBB program provides eligible households with a discount of up to $50 per month on their broadband bill, with households on Tribal lands receiving up to $75 per month. Program participants can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 on a connected device. Enrollment for the program opened on May 12, and more than 1100 broadband providers are now participating.
All told, the FCC figures showed 3.08 million households were signed up for benefits as of June 27, with 75,880 of these on Tribal land. That figure was up from the 2.3 million the FCC touted on June 7. Approximately $34.6 million of the $3.2 billion in available funding has been distributed thus far, with the vast majority ($34.3 million) spent on monthly broadband support and $311,873 spent on connected device purchases.
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In her remarks, Rosenworcel said the response to the EBB program in the weeks since its launch shows “that there is consumer demand and consumer need for a broadband affordability program,” concluding “I think it’s clear that the need for the Emergency Broadband Benefit or something similar will outlast Covid-19.”