Digital Equity
The Affordable Connectivity Program
Expires Soon!
Read more about the program’s wind-down and your rights.
Governor John Carney has set the goal for Delaware to become the first state in the nation to be fully connected to high-speed internet. He also believes that in addition to an internet connection, all Delawareans also need to have the ability to harness the transformative potential of this access for personal, educational, and economic growth. Achieving that vision requires achieving digital equity, often referred to as “closing the digital divide.”
Under the Digital Equity Act, Delaware received a $516,096 grant to develop a State Digital Equity Plan that identifies the local barriers to digital equity of covered populations (low-income households, senior citizens, racial and ethnic minorities, veterans, rural residents, incarcerated and returning individuals, people with disabilities, and those with language or literacy barriers) and possible strategies to address those needs. The Plan focuses on achieving these five critical elements of digital equity:
- Access to affordable, reliable internet connectivity at home
- A computing device and opportunity to maintain it
- Opportunity to learn and apply digital skills
- Tools and information to be safe online
- Online State resources that are accessible and usable
In developing the State Digital Equity Plan and Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) plans, the Delaware Broadband Office engaged stakeholders through email outreach, statewide meetings and public forums across the state, a phone survey of Delaware residents, polls during the presentations, follow-up stakeholder surveys which were also available online, and a Digital Equity Needs Assessment survey.
Public comments on the Plan were accepted from November 3, 2023 through December 4, 2023, and the final version of the plan is below:
We expect to receive about $12 million in federal Digital Equity Act funding as part of President Joe Biden’s Internet for All initiative. Putting together the Digital Equity Plan was the first step in qualifying for this federal funding, but we still have more work to do to make sure we are addressing the most urgent needs in Delaware. We want to meet with your communities, learn about the work your organizations are doing, and hear the expertise you have to share on the needs of Delawareans that might be addressed by greater digital access. Delawareans can always send their thoughts or questions regarding digital equity and the Delaware Broadband Office’s activities to digitalequity@delaware.gov or William Penn Building, c/o Delaware Broadband Office, 801 Silver Lake Blvd., Dover, DE 19904.
Affording Your Internet Service
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has provided a $30 monthly discount on internet service for over 50,000 Delaware households since January 2022. ACP benefits will expire in April 2024 unless the program’s funding is renewed. No new applications will be accepted after February 7, 2024.
The ACP program is winding down. View the ACP Fact Sheet to learn more about your rights to continue or cancel your service.
Additional programs exist to help make internet service more affordable to low-income households. There are both government subsidies and low-income internet programs from internet service providers (ISPs) that can lower your internet bill.
If you are an internet service provider and would like for us to add your affordability program to this page, please email digitalequity@delaware.gov.
