Support for United Way Franklin Case Study
Connectivity as a lifeline:
How one regional nonprofit closed the digital divide
Deadline to Comment is October13, 2026
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.
A new case study from Mobile Beacon tells the story of how the United Way of the Franklin & Hampshire Region (UW-FH) stepped in to help: collaborating with the Alliance for Digital Equity and funds from the Massachusetts Broadband Institute, UW-FH launched a Mobile Hotspot Pilot Program, deploying 614 Mobile Beacon hotspots with unlimited data to 32 partner organizations in its first year, and serving nearly 40,000 GB of data in the process.
The case study is worth a full read for anyone planning a digital equity program. Here are a few takeaways:
A definition of eligibility that actually captured need:
The program served seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, rural residents, non-English speakers, and more – all groups who experience persistent poverty and instability and are most likely to be cut off from society when connectivity vanishes.
A funding structure that meant partners didn't have to spend a penny:
Mobile Beacon was paid directly by UW-FH for devices and data plans, so partner organizations didn’t bear the cost of hardware or data, lowering the barrier to entry for underfunded nonprofits.
Significant impact beyond mere convenience:
Partner organizations noted that hotspots enabled users to submit job applications, attend telehealth appointments, complete online coursework, and enroll in critical benefit programs, as well as harder-to-quantify outcomes. As one partner put it, recipients “felt seen, not just as someone living in poverty, but as a person who deserves access.”
Real organizations that actually did this:
The case study features three partner organizations, including the Center for New Americans, Homework House in Holyoke, and Stone Soup Cafe in Greenfield, each serving different populations with the hotspots, from English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students to families without internet access at home for homework.
Digital equity work often lives in the details — funding structures, eligibility criteria, onboarding paperwork. This case study shows how those details, done right, add up to real impact.
Download the full case study to see the complete data, partner interviews, and lessons learned.
