Michael Liimatta - ConnectHome Broadband Adoption - GCS16

1. Broadband Adoption Initiative of the
U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development

2. An Internet connection is no longer a luxury in this 21st century global
economy, it really is a necessity.” --Secretary Julián Castro, March 2016

3. What Is ConnectHome?
o Builds on ConnectED and the President’s other
broadband initiatives in order to bring
affordable broadband access, digital literacy,
and computers to low-income families
o Creates platform for public-private
collaboration and locally-tailored solutions to
narrow the digital divide for HUD-assisted
residents and their school age children

4. 28 Pilot Communities
Albany, GA Cleveland, OH Macon, GA Philadelphia, PA
Atlanta, GA Denver, CO Memphis, TN Rockford, IL
Baltimore, MD Durham, NC Meriden, CT San Antonio, TX
Baton Rouge, LA Fresno, CA Nashville, TN Seattle, WA
Boston, MA Kansas City, MO New Orleans, KA Springfield, MA
Camden, NJ Little Rock, AR New York, NY Tampa, FL
Choctaw Nation, OK Los Angeles, CA Newark, NJ Washington, DC

5. How Does It Work?
HUD
Create national platform and
reach out to new
stakeholders
Help establish baseline, set
goals, and monitor
implementation
Provide technical assistance,
spotlight successful models,
and support local work
Stakeholders
(ISPs, NGOs, etc.)
Offer free or low-cost high-
speed Internet to HUD-
assisted families
Provide free educational and
digital literacy resources
Address need for free or low-
cost computers
City/Housing Authority
Convene stakeholders and
develop implementation
plan
Reach out to residents to
understand needs and to
educate
Partner with stakeholders
to engage residents and
deliver services

6. ConnectHome Stakeholders

7. ConnectHome ISP Stakeholders

8. Implementation
July 2015
President announces
ConnectHome
Aug. 2015
National
ConnectHome Summit
Oct.-Nov. 2015
Local convenings
(22 of 28 communities)

9. Implementation
Winter 2015/16
26 of 28 communities submit
implementation plans
Early 2016
Establish baseline data and
begin implementation
Aug./Sept. 2016
Evaluate and release
findings in annual
report
July 2016
At least 35% of K-12 families
in public housing connected

10. ConnectHome Institutionalization
• Housed within Office of Public Housing
Investments in PIH
• Full-time ConnectHome manager
• A local HUD lead in every community
• “Desk officers” at Headquarters in DC
• Close collaboration on implementation and
expansion within all HUD Offices

11. Expansion
February 3: Free 1GB/sec Google Fiber comes to
first public housing development (Kansas City);
more developments soon in other Fiber cities
March 24: Comcast begins pilot to auto-qualify
public housing residents in Miami, Nashville,
Philadelphia, and Seattle
March 31: FCC extends Lifeline program for low-
income Americans to subsidize broadband
April 14: Cox extends offer to all K-12 families in
HUD-assisted housing within footprint (18 states)

12. New Broadband Rules & Guidance
• Dec. 2015: Guidance issued on using CDBG for
broadband projects
• Feb. 2016: Guidance issued on using ONAP grants for
broadband projects
• May/June 2016: 2 proposed rules published
1. New residential construction and substantial
rehabilitation projects funded by HUD must
support Internet connectivity
2. Community-wide planning processes for using
HUD funding must incorporate Internet needs
assessments

13. For more information
Michael Liimatta
Phone: (202) 402-5281
Michael.K.Liimatta@hud.gov
Web: http://ConnectHome.HUD.gov
Twitter: @ConnectHome