Michigan State University’s Quello Center has been awarded a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts to continue its work on digital connectivity, with a focus on assessing recent federal policy changes and strengthening a national network of researchers and practitioners.
The grant builds on research the Quello Center began in late 2024 to study the impact of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. This phase of the project will examine the repercussions of changes introduced to the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program in June 2025. Researchers will analyze how the changes may affect the speed of closing access gaps in high-speed internet, the quality and affordability of broadband service, and long-term infrastructure maintenance.
“As AI emerges as a new challenge for digital skills and the infrastructure needed to support its beneficial uses, this project is timely and forward-looking,” said Johannes M. Bauer, director of the Quello Center.
“From what we know, it is the first effort to examine these issues with an eye on emerging technologies and uses. The project already has helped practitioners on the ground, and we believe this next phase will assist in better harnessing the tremendous benefits and mitigating potential risks of emerging digital technologies. Although the project has a national footprint, it will contribute to discussions on rural innovation in Michigan.”
In addition to policy assessment, the Quello Center is spearheading several national initiatives related to this research program:
- Building a national interdisciplinary research network to connect scholars and practitioners working to advance state and federal digital inclusion goals.
- Leading a task force to develop a user-friendly research and data commons that will support quantitative, empirical research on digital access and skills.
- Developing planning tools that can help state and federal policymakers design and evaluate future broadband initiatives.
The project aims to support universal access to high-speed internet and improved digital literacy—critical foundations for equitable participation in a technology-driven society.
More information about the Quello Center’s ongoing work can be found at quello.msu.edu/iija-assessment.