Connected Nation Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Connect program - comprises community planning, technical assistance and research, mapping, and outreach.community planning, also known as the connected community engagement program or connected, is a facilitated broadband and technology planning effort. Connected engages local leaders to evaluate their community's current state of technology access, adoption, and use. The program offers communities the opportunity to measure the supply, demand, and use of technology in the community with unprecedented data gathering, analysis, and planning.connected's unique community assessment provides insight into the local technology ecosystem, identifies gaps and opportunities, and supports the development of an actionable technology plan to improve the community's standing in the digital economy. The program is serviced via a dedicated web portal as well as community meetings and helps communities frame their needs around broadband access, adoption, and use by collection of local data via a series of surveys. After assessing the results of the survey, the program matches implementable solutions with locally identified barriers to access, adoption, and use.state broadband planning, in 2009, cn became the single most prolific broadband data collection and planning entity in the country under the state broadband initiative (sbi) grant program administered by the national telecommunications and information administration (ntia). With the infrastructure investment and jobs act (iija) of 2021, once again the ntia released funds to support states in expanding broadband. The two primary funding programs are the broadband equity, access, and deployment (bead) program and the state digital equity planning grant program. With connected nation's extensive history in state broadband planning, the organization has secured roles in supporting 15 state broadband offices in fulfilling requirements under these to programs. The requirements call upon all of the organization's core competencies and is aligned with its mission to close the digital divide across the country. Technical assistance and research opens up a gateway to educational, informational, governmental, health, workforce, social resources, and economic opportunities. The organization has worked with policymakers, community champions, researchers, businesses, educators, community and state leaders to offer guidance, expertise, and research to expand broadband to underserved areas and populations across the nation.the organization's industry-leading research into broadband demand and usage, as well as barriers to broadband adoption, provides the needed information for communities to make informed decisions. Combined with its innovative maps, the organization's programs give an unprecedented view of an area's broadband landscape. Mapping relies on the cooperation of private providers, and the organization's broadband expansion efforts similarly rely on work with the private sector. The organization actively seeks to engage partners from all sectors in the work of bridging the digital divide. These public-private partnerships allow the organization to provide tangible results in communities across the nation. Field data collection and validation efforts provide additional confidence in broadband data accuracy and also provide confirmation of or revisions to provider reported information; these efforts assist in expanding broadband in areas that have typically been overlooked.raising awareness of the issues surrounding broadband expansion is a key component of the organization's mission. The organization facilitates broadband summits and workshops which bring together stakeholders from government, non-profits, the provider community, education, and other sectors, along with other industry leaders, to offer a unique opportunity for direct engagement, planning, and knowledge sharing. Similarly, the organization actively works with local, regional, state, and tribal entities and various sectors to

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 91.5%; rating input score 91
• Fundraising efficiency: $15.68 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 19th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Fail
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -32.3%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.53; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 16.1%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -2% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 9.3% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings