University of Kwazulu-Natal

Pawel Popiel And David Elliot Berman Marjorie Charles Benton

Bonisiwe Shabane
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pawel popiel and david elliot berman marjorie charles benton

For their project, Popiel and Berman will conduct research on Philadelphia's efforts to get its most marginalized communities online. The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society has named Media, Inequality and Change Center (MIC) Postdoctoral Fellows Pawel Popiel (Ph.D. ‘20) and David Elliot Berman (Ph.D. ‘22) Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fund Fellows. As part of the Benton Institute’s inaugural Equitable Broadband in Urban America fellowship cohort, Popiel and Berman will examine efforts to close the digital divide in Philadelphia. The pair will focus on the effectiveness of low-income internet plans in the city as well as the implementation of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program, launched in 2021 to subsidize internet access for the...

Over the course of the 18-month fellowship, Popiel and Berman will work with Philadelphia residents, city officials, and nonprofits to determine the barriers to enrollment in low-cost broadband programs in the city. Dr. Pawel Popiel and Dr. David Elliot Berman are Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fund fellows. As part of the Equitable Broadband in Urban America Research Group, they are examining the implementation and impact of subsidized broadband programs, focusing on the work of Digital Navigators. Public policy analysis overwhelmingly hews toward the quantitative.

In the context of broadband policy research, quantitative data gleaned from surveys and other sources can illuminate how connectivity initiatives like the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) perform based on standardized metrics like enrollment counts,... However, these standardized metrics tell us little about how these initiatives affect the daily life of the very people enrolled in and often dependent on government subsidies for basic internet service. In contrast, qualitative research methods—such as interviews, focus groups, and ethnography—can offer granular insights into the human impact of broadband policy. We examined how low-income Philadelphians got online during the rollout of the ACP, which offered subsidies to eligible low-income subscribers for low-cost internet service. We explored how low-income residents encountered and navigated the tapestry of public, private, and nonprofit institutions that together comprise Philadelphia’s digital equity landscape. Our research revealed three central findings.

First, participants tended to learn about ACP through word of mouth rather than from official outreach initiatives. Second, participants felt that Comcast’s Internet Essentials plan was a second-class internet service that was insufficient for their everyday connectivity needs. Finally, uncertainty about the future of ACP and its eventual expiration caused significant stress among participants. On June 1, 2024—the day after the ACP officially ended—we conducted three focus groups with ACP-eligible Philadelphia residents who subscribed to low-cost internet services.1 To recruit participants, we worked with both a promotional company... We prioritized neighborhoods targeted by Digital Navigators, namely DLA nonprofits tasked with conducting outreach to low-income residents and assisting them with ACP and low-cost internet plan enrollment. Congratulations to MIC Center postdocs David Elliot Berman and Pawel Popiel, who have been named Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fund Fellows by the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society!

During their fellowship, Berman and Popiel will examine efforts to close the digital divide in Philadelphia. Read more about their project: The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society announced two new fellowship cohorts for our Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fund. The Equitable Broadband in Urban America Research Group and the Policies, Plans, and Promises Research Group bring together researchers to work independently, but collaboratively on pressing broadband issues. We are excited about a research group model. We want to support not just the work these fellows will do but also help create a space where these talented researchers can share approaches and insights, building a community of practice.

The Equitable Broadband in Urban America Research Group is a multi-city, multi-methods project that will offer actionable insights into how broadband in urban America can be improved and how state and federal policymakers, local... Research teams in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, San Antonio, and Seattle will delve into the specific dynamics and challenges of reaching universal broadband and digital equity in their cities. Collectively, their work will speak to the impact of redlining and lack of affordable service, and highlight the efforts of community organizations and coalitions in addressing urban broadband challenges. The researchers are also applying a range of approaches – historical, spatial, and qualitative analyses – to this work which will produce academic articles, toolkits, podcasts, and zines. The $42.5 billion investment into broadband infrastructure under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program is expected to be largely directed to rural communities where infrastructure needs are more starkly apparent. We hope the work of these researchers will ensure that urban broadband needs are better understood and addressed.

With funding made available through BEAD and the Digital Equity Act, the federal government has charged states with leading the work of crafting plans to make those investments a reality. The Policies, Plans, and Promises Research Group will conduct comparative policy analyses to understand how states are approaching specific issues critical to ensuring equitable broadband. The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society has named Media, Inequality and Change Center (MIC) postdoctoral fellows Pawel Popiel, PhD’20, and David Elliot Berman, PhD’22, Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fund Fellows. As part of the Benton Institute’s inaugural Equitable Broadband in Urban America fellowship cohort, Drs. Popiel and Berman will examine efforts to close the digital divide in Philadelphia. The pair will focus on the effectiveness of low-income internet plans in the city as well as the implementation of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program, launched in 2021 to subsidize internet access for the...

Over the course of the 18-month fellowship, Drs. Popiel and Berman will work with Philadelphia residents, city officials, and nonprofits to determine the barriers to enrollment in low-cost broadband programs in the city. One program that will figure in the research is the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey’s Digital Navigator Network, a collective of community organizations that help Philadelphians sign up for and... Through their project, Drs. Popiel and Berman seek to demystify the inner workings of the digital welfare state, as well as offer policy proposals for reforming and reimagining it in order to secure a more just and equitable... In Philadelphia, Dr.

Pawel Popiel and Dr. David Elliot Berman, examine efforts to close the digital divide in Philadelphia. The pair focus on the effectiveness of low-income internet plans in the city as well as the implementation of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program, launched in 2021 to subsidize internet access for the poorest... Over the course of the fellowship, Popiel and Berman worked with Philadelphia residents, city officials, and Digital Navigators to determine the barriers to enrollment in low-cost broadband programs in the city. America, Disconnected: What’s Biden’s Plan for Averting Digital Disaster? (Berman & Popiel, 2024)

Connecting Philadelphia: 2021 Household Internet Assessment Survey (2021) Philadelphia Digital Equity Plan (February 2022) Pawel Popiel is an Assistant Professor at Washington State University’s Murrow College of Communication. His research examines the political economy and regulation of the communication and media industries, particularly digital platforms. Popiel’s work focuses on two interrelated themes: the political implications of policies governing information, communications, and digital technologies, and the political processes underlying the formulation and enforcement of those policies. His research has been published in journals like Information, Communication & Society, Policy & Internet, Critical Studies in Media Communication, Journal of Digital Media & Policy, and others, and has been presented at major...

Popiel obtained his Ph.D. at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania and holds a B.A. in Political Science from McGill University and an M.A. in Media Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.

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For Their Project, Popiel And Berman Will Conduct Research On

For their project, Popiel and Berman will conduct research on Philadelphia's efforts to get its most marginalized communities online. The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society has named Media, Inequality and Change Center (MIC) Postdoctoral Fellows Pawel Popiel (Ph.D. ‘20) and David Elliot Berman (Ph.D. ‘22) Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fund Fellows. As part of the Benton Institute’s i...

Over The Course Of The 18-month Fellowship, Popiel And Berman

Over the course of the 18-month fellowship, Popiel and Berman will work with Philadelphia residents, city officials, and nonprofits to determine the barriers to enrollment in low-cost broadband programs in the city. Dr. Pawel Popiel and Dr. David Elliot Berman are Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fund fellows. As part of the Equitable Broadband in Urban America Research Group, they are examin...

In The Context Of Broadband Policy Research, Quantitative Data Gleaned

In the context of broadband policy research, quantitative data gleaned from surveys and other sources can illuminate how connectivity initiatives like the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) perform based on standardized metrics like enrollment counts,... However, these standardized metrics tell us little about how these initiatives affect the daily life of the very people enrolled in and often ...

First, Participants Tended To Learn About ACP Through Word Of

First, participants tended to learn about ACP through word of mouth rather than from official outreach initiatives. Second, participants felt that Comcast’s Internet Essentials plan was a second-class internet service that was insufficient for their everyday connectivity needs. Finally, uncertainty about the future of ACP and its eventual expiration caused significant stress among participants. On...

During Their Fellowship, Berman And Popiel Will Examine Efforts To

During their fellowship, Berman and Popiel will examine efforts to close the digital divide in Philadelphia. Read more about their project: The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society announced two new fellowship cohorts for our Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fund. The Equitable Broadband in Urban America Research Group and the Policies, Plans, and Promises Research Group bring together re...