Connect Humanity

We want to extend huge congratulations and gratitude to Chauntiera Hills and Kaitlynn Hintz for their graduation as Lead For America Fellows and for all they accomplished in their year of service with Connect Humanity! Their hard work and commitment have made a significant impact on our mission and to the communities they served. We'll be cheering them both on as they take their next steps in their professional journeys. #ThankYou #LeadForAmerica American Connection Corps

Broadband is a necessity, not a luxury. Yet, for many low-income households, as John Horrigan puts it, "home internet can be a 'sometimes thing' and another stressor on a tight household budget." 💥 This brand new report from the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society once again underlines the very real impact to 23 million American families losing access to #AffordableConnectivityProgram benefits.

Thanks to Impact Entrepreneur and Laurie Lane-Zucker for inviting me share a few thoughts on the essential role impact investors can play to build broadband in communities in need today and unlock transformative opportunities for economic development. Click to learn more about Macon County, Alabama where Joe Turnham and team rallied partners to build a $3 million fiber network that led a $128 million factory being built: https://lnkd.in/eCCWDMgz #RuralBroadband #ImpactFinance #ImpactInvesting #DigitalDivide

We ❤️ the Rio Grande Valley Digital Ambassadors Program! This collaboration between IDRA and ARISE Adelante addresses the urgent need for digital literacy in South Texas while empowering young people in colonia communities to step up as future leaders. Through the program, 25 students researched, designed, and taught a digital curriculum to local residents. Beyond providing a crucial service, the real magic lies in the trust and opportunities these students gain by leading the project. Learn more 👉 https://lnkd.in/eRmHGarU As Aurelio Montemayor of IDRA put it: “When you connect with any teenagers in the right way, their talents come out. Give the right support and connect with their desire to achieve, their brilliance comes up every time.” We had the pleasure of speaking with Aurelio, Lourdes Flores (Director of ARISE Adelante), and Michelle Martínez Vega (Chief Technology Strategist at IDRA) to dive deeper into the pilot program and explore their future plans. ✨ Discover more about this innovative program in our visual showcase: https://lnkd.in/eRmHGarU Connect Humanity is proud to support this initiative through our grant to ARISE, as part of our commitment to advancing digital equity in South Texas via the Rio Grande Valley Broadband Coalition. #DigitalSkills #YouthLeadership #InternetAccess #SouthTexas #RioGrandeValley H/T Jordana Barton-Garcia, Calum Cameron, City of Pharr, TX, Intercultural Development Research Association

Failure of markets? Yes Low income communities left behind? Yes Financially sustainable options available? Yes But access to capital a barrier? Yes If this isn’t a call to action for #impactinvesting, #philanthropy, and #blendedfinance, I don’t know what is 🤔

There's nothing like a global network outage to remind us that connectivity is essential in today's world. Can we finally agree that broadband is a lifeline, not a luxury, and commit to extending access to the 2.7 billion people globally still unable to connect? #Outage #FitIT #CloseTheDigitalDivide

Join us in welcoming Ricardo Saenz, MPA as the newest member of team Connect Humanity 🎉 Ricardo is proud lifelong resident of the Rio Grande Valley where he dedicates his time to serving local people through health and community projects. In his most recent role, he oversaw a digital skills program with underserved older adult populations, for which he trained as a digital navigator. Lucky for us, Ricardo has chosen to go all in on digital equity, becoming the Program Manager of the Rio Grande Valley Broadband Coalition. In his downtime, you'll find Ricardo spending time with friends and family, catching the latest blockbusters, or walking his 9-year-old Dachshund Kovu. #WelcomeRicardo #KovuPicsPlease

The nation’s internet infrastructure has been largely left to market forces to build — with uneven results. While connectivity has become an essential utility, 40 million Americans are still waiting to be connected. Closing this digital divide means changing the way we build broadband. 🖊 In Impact Entrepreneur, Connect Humanity CEO Jochai Ben-Avie explains how impact investors can drive this change and unlock the necessary financing for community-focused broadband projects, bringing high-speed internet to areas not reached by invisible hand of the market: https://lnkd.in/g7v-3t7G Learn how leaders like Joe Turnham in Macon County, Alabama saw broadband as key to the community's economic growth, and rallied mission-aligned partners to fund and build a state-of-the-art fiber network, attracting millions of dollars in investment to the County. https://lnkd.in/g7v-3t7G What do you think? Share your reactions in the comments! H/T K. Lynne (Kathy) Stewart, Christa Wagner Vinson, Rural LISC, Made in Alabama - Alabama Department of Commerce, Community Broadband Networks, Brian Vo, Laurie Lane-Zucker. #RuralBroadband #ImpactFinance #ImpactInvesting #DigitalDivide

We're seeking talented freelance design specialists to support the Appalachia Digital Accelerator. In this role, you'll assist participating communities to create standout Connectivity Plans that shine ✨. 🔗 Role Specification: https://lnkd.in/edVx3br5 Interested? Submit your details through the form in the spec. Please share this opportunity with your network! #FreelanceDesign #DigitalDesign #RuralBroadband #InternetForAll

The Affordable Connectivity Program has ended — what's the impact? 💥 A new analysis from the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society found that half of surveyed households previously enrolled in ACP said they would either terminate service or downgrade to a slower or cheaper option upon the program’s end. 💸 More than half said it was difficult for them to pay their monthly broadband service fee, limited their use of internet to access telehealth appointments and other essential services. The forthcoming report values these lost opportunities at over $2 billion annually. 🛑 43% of low-income households are subscription vulnerable, meaning they live at or near the poverty line, have been disconnected due to difficulties paying internet bills, or have significant concerns about service affordability. Maintaining internet is a financial balancing act and the ACP had been a huge help. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gyhAt3uM