Connectivity as a Lifeline
How United Way of the Franklin & Hampshire Region built a 614-hotspot lending program from scratch.
The Challenge: June 1, 2024 marked the end of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program. For about 23 million households, the subsidy that kept home internet affordable disappeared, and an estimated 5 million people lost service altogether. In Western Massachusetts, where rural broadband can be pricey, spotty, or not there at all, the cutoff landed hardest on residents who were already running out of room; people at or below 200% of the federal poverty line, families dealing with house instability, older adults, newcomers, and household in more remote areas.
United Way of Franklin & Hampshire Region hadn’t operated a connectivity initiative before. Still, in under a year it managed to get 614 mobile hotspots placed through 32 partner organizations.
What you’ll learn in this case study
- How a coalition-style funding setup moved devices into the community without charging partner organizations. MBI provided the funding, the Alliance for Digital Equity brought the right groups together, UW-FH handled administration and paid Mobile Beacon directly, and partners paid nothing for the devices or the 12-month service plans.
- Why the program prioritized a low barrier to entry over tight oversight. By stripping a seven-page user agreement down to what was necessary and leaving reporting optional, hotspots reached residents sooner, and stretched partners didn’t have to swap core work for extra paperwork.
- How usage numbers told the story better than anything else. Close to 40TB of data across the pilot made it clear these hotspots weren't occasional conveniences, they became everyday basics for tele-health visits, job searches, schoolwork, and enrolling in benefits.
- What the program made possible for partner organizations. A few partners tripled the hotspots they could offer, libraries kept service running during outages to tethering workstations, and staff moved from doing online tasks for residents to helping residents do them on their own.
- How three very different partners used hotspots in practice. From pairing one with a saturday community meal, to narrowing the homework gap for Holyoke students, to reaching 100% active use among immigrant and refugee families, United Way members delivered positive impact quickly, easily, and affordably.
Download the case study
Discover some hard-earned takeaways any United Way chapter or community coalition can use before starting a hotspot lending program of its own.
