EBB May Last Another 18 Months; Enrollment Hits 5M

More than 5 million households have enrolled to date in the FCC emergency broadband benefit program, the agency said Friday. Experts welcomed the more granular data about enrollment figures that accompanied the announcement and said the program may last 18 months.

The $3.1 billion program has already doled out $378 million in monthly broadband support and connected devices since launching in May. Five-digit ZIP code enrollment figures released by the Universal Service Administrative Co. Friday show Los Angeles and several cities in Puerto Rico had the most households enrolled.

Enrolling 5 million households in the program “wouldn’t have been possible without the support of nearly 30,000 individuals and organizations who signed up as volunteer outreach partners,” said FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement Friday: "Today’s data release provides us all new opportunities to target and engage eligible families who may qualify for EBB but haven’t yet enrolled.”

Friday's announcement is “huge,” said Public Knowledge Director-Government Affairs Greg Guice, saying it’s close to surpassing the roughly 6 million households currently enrolled in the Lifeline program. More than 2.5 million EBB subscribers are existing Lifeline customers, according to USAC. Most subscribers have been in the 25-64 age range so far, accounting for more than 3 million enrollees.

The rate of enrollment is on par with Lifeline enrollment in 2021, said New America's Open Technology Institute Policy Analyst Claire Park. “I’m more worried about stagnating participation than I am about the money” running out, Park said, because there have been some problems with the national verifier.

Enrollment increased by more than 1 million over the past month, so “I think the word is getting out,” said Benton Institute for Broadband & Society Senior Fellow John Horrigan. The new enrollment data by ZIP code should provide more insight into what the growth rates are since the FCC last released data by three-digit ZIP codes, Horrigan said (see 2107160048).

There was a “significant uptick” in reimbursement claims for a connected device in July compared with the program’s first two months, said Incompas Attorney-Policy Adviser Chris Shipley. More than $21 million in reimbursement was sought for the month of July compared with $8.5 million in June and $404,000 in May. That may be because subscribers have a better understanding of the program now and are opting to buy a device as the school year starts, Shipley said.

An uptick in connected devices might continue "as folks realize they might have additional needs,” Shipley said. Most EBB providers opted not to offer a connected device when the program launched (see 2105210049). An FCC spokesperson said Friday that providers can opt in at any time.

More than twice as many subscribers opted for mobile broadband service as for fixed broadband, according to USAC. Less than 0.5% chose fixed wireless or satellite services. It “invites some questions,” Horrigan said, because fixed broadband would be “ideal” for doing homework or telehealth. The trend may be in part because mobile broadband is more affordable, Park said.

Given the current rate of enrollment, a year to 18 months is “probably the amount of time left for this funding,” Guice said. “That generally makes sense to me,” Horrigan said. The program should last “deep into 2022,” Shipley said.