Digital Determinants
Equitable Broadband in Urban America
The Equitable Broadband in Urban America Research Group is a multi-city, multi-methods project that offers actionable insights into how broadband service in urban America can be improved. 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. The work of the Urban America Research Group will ensure that urban broadband needs are better understood and addressed.
Researchers explore how state and federal policymakers, local governments, and digital equity champions contribute to digital equity in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, San Antonio, and Seattle. They delve into the specific dynamics and challenges to reaching universal broadband and digital equity in their cities.
Chicago
Kyla Williams Tate studies the relationship between trust, digital discrimination, and digital adoption among the descendants of the Great Migration.
From The Great Migration to Digital Equity: Superdeterminants, Systems, and Shared Power (Part 2) (December 2025)
From the Great Migration to Digital Equity: Trust, Discrimination, and Adoption (Part 1) (August 2025)
From Exodus to Access: Unraveling the Great Migration's Connection to the Digital Divide (March 2024)
Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fellowship
As a 2024–2025 Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fellow, Kyla Williams Tate was part of the Benton Institute’s Equitable Broadband in Urban America research initiative examining digital equity in cities shaped by the Great Migration. Her work explored how digital access, community knowledge, and storytelling intersect in communities navigating long-standing structural inequities.
Through the Digital Determinants project, Kyla documented community perspectives on technology access and opportunity using narrative research methods, policy analysis, and creative inquiry. The project produced a ten-episode podcast series, research publications, and a set of policy recommendation cards informed by community knowledge and lived experience.
Digital Equity Recommendations
