Charles Benton Broadband & Society Prize
TPRC and the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society announce the fifth year of the Charles Benton Broadband & Society Prize recognizing scholarship in the area of digital inclusion and broadband adoption.
The winner of this special honor will be presented with a $1,500 cash prize at lunch during the TPRC51 conference and the TPRC Conference fee will be waived. The winner will be required to contribute a blog article based on the winning submission for publication on the Benton Institute website. A runner-up may be named but does not receive a Conference fee waiver and is not obligated to do a blog.
The prize will be awarded to an accepted paper for TPRC51 within the area of digital inclusion and broadband adoption.
Digital inclusion and broadband adoption is a broad theme. It is for the Program Committee to decide which submissions fit within this theme. Contributions may be based on qualitative or quantitative (or mixed) methods and address US or international developments. Papers in this area may address broadband access, adoption and/or application and use with a view to achieving digital equity/inclusion.
Contributions in past years have addressed network access, costs and outcomes (e.g. homework gaps or school performance) for users; rural/urban and gender/racial/indigenous community divides; investment strategies for next generation services or for municipal networks; subsidy programs; competition and pricing; digital applications and impact of inclusion/exclusion in various sectors (industry sectors/public services); or algorithms, data analytics biases and digital exclusion.
Full papers will be reviewed and winners will be notified in August prior to the conference.
For the full TPRC51 Call for Papers, see link
About TPRC:
The leading conference on communications, information and Internet policy, TPRC promotes interdisciplinary thinking on current and emerging issues in communications and the Internet by disseminating and discussing new research relevant to policy questions in the U.S. and around the world. It serves researchers, policymakers, and members of the private sector and civil society, from students to well-established practitioners.
About the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society and Charles Benton: Charles Benton was a determined, passionate, and agile businessman and philanthropist who pursued a vision to bring open, affordable high-capacity broadband to people in the U.S. to ensure a thriving democracy. Benton believes that communications policy—rooted in the values of access, equity, and diversity—has the power to deliver new opportunities and strengthen communities to bridge our divides.
A regular attendee at TPRC’s annual conference, Charles is fondly remembered for his commitment to digital inclusion and broadband adoption. He was passionate about making knowledge accessible, encouraging researchers and scholars to bring their work to practice and public policy.
● Benton curates and distributes the only free, reliable, and non-partisan daily digest of media and communications news.
● Benton connects stakeholders through information sharing and analysis to frame and promote conversation and a more inclusive debate around communications policy.
● Benton supports legal and policy experts who preserve and strengthen the public benefits of America’s communications environment, who can nourish and protect democratic values, and who can communicate to the public why this all matters.