Riverside County ACP Outreach

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

Riverside County initiated a regional campaign to close the digital divide and increase broadband adoption rates among its residents through an extensive outreach effort to promote enrollment in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). As part of this effort, Riverside County deployed a county-wide media strategy specifically targeting zip codes with the highest number of ACP-eligible households that had not yet enrolled. Supporting the outreach, the County established an ACP call center to assist residents with the enrollment process. The call center hotline (866-922-1016) was included in all advertisement mediums from television and radio to billboards, social media, and flyers. The goals behind this campaign were twofold: 1) promote awareness about the program to ACP-eligible households and 2) increase ACP enrollment within Riverside County. The County established partnerships with regional stakeholders from incorporated cities, regional bodies, and community-based organizations (CBOs) to maximize the reach of the ACP campaign. The County prioritized partnerships with organizations that worked with eligible households participating in programs such as low-cost or free school lunch programs, SSI, SNAP, WIC, Veteran’s Pension, Pell Grant Recipients, or households that are at or below 200% of federal poverty guidelines. Through these partnerships, the County was able to increase awareness and enrollment within both its geography and the broader region.