When Connectivity is Career Infrastructure
Nationally, about 50% of registered apprentices don’t make it past year one. Not due to motivation, but access issues – and the solution is more straightforward than most workforce organizations believe.
The Signal
A Blog by Mobile Beacon
Behind every connection is a mission. We explore the people, organizations, and ideas driving digital equity — from disaster recovery to the classroom, from the library to the field.
The Signal
A Blog by Mobile Beacon
Behind every connection is a mission. We explore the people, organizations, and ideas driving digital equity — from disaster recovery to the classroom, from the library to the field.
Recent Articles
Support for United Way Franklin Case Study
In June 2024, the federal Affordable Connectivity Program came to an end, leaving an estimated 23 million households without the subsidy that had made home internet service affordable, and 5 million without any internet access. For residents of Western Massachusetts with potentially high-cost, low-speed rural broadband, the policy change particularly affected those least able to afford it.
E-Rate is at Risk: Schools and Libraries Have Until October 13th to Make Their Voices Heard
For nearly 30 years, E-Rate has helped schools and libraries nationwide afford the connectivity they need to serve their communities. Today, the future of that program is uncertain.
Food Assistance Went Digital. Rural Access Didn’t Catch Up.
September is National Hunger Action Month, a time meant to raise awareness about food insecurity in the U.S. Most of that conversation centers on grocery costs and supply chains, but there’s another huge part that rarely gets attention. As food assistance programs have shifted online, millions of people have been left behind simply because they lack digital access.
Honoring the Work
August 17 marks National Nonprofit Day. On this day, we celebrate the amazing work nonprofits do across the country. At Mobile Beacon, we are proud to be one of these organizations, and we know from experience how much this work relies on dedicated people who often have to do their jobs with limited resources.
The Library, Reimagined Daily
In downtown Dallas, teens head up to the seventh floor of the public library, not for a quiet table or a stack of novels, but to slip into prom dresses. Out in suburban Denver, people who chase ghosts borrow EMF detectors and head off to see what’s hiding in the dark. And on Cape Cod, mushroom hunters grab mesh bags and field guides before they disappear into the trees.
