On April 3, Pew Charitable Trusts published an issue brief titled “Broadband Challenges and Opportunities in Affordable Rental Housing.” The brief is based on interviews with affordable housing and digital equity experts – including LeadingAge’s Director of Housing Operations and Policy, Juliana Bilowich – and calls broadband a “critical service” for health, education, recreation, and well-being for Americans.

The brief goes on to identify challenges in affordable housing broadband access, including a lack of wiring in older buildings, a legacy of housing discrimination, and a lack of targeted funding for property retrofits; Pew researchers then discuss the benefits of broadband access once those barriers are overcome by either individual residents or properties at scale.

The Pew brief concludes with considerations for policymakers, which LeadingAge strongly supports. The policy considerations include:

• Let the setting determine the solution
• Address all three pillars of digital equity
• Rely on what works
• Coordinate and collaborate across governments
• Sustain investments

More info about the brief is available here. More information from Pew Charitable Trusts about affordable housing and internet access is available here.

To join LeadingAge’s work on internet access in affordable senior housing, contact Juliana (jbilowich@leadingage.org).