  We present the results from a study of ~9,600 Broad-Line selected AGN with
host galaxies detected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 17 (SDSS
DR17). We compute ensemble variability statistics based on the comparison of
the original SDSS photometric data with spectrophotometric measurements
obtained days to decades later in the Sloan g-, r-, and i-bands. Galaxy and AGN
templates have been fitted to the SDSS spectra to isolate the AGN component
from the host galaxy. The sources have absolute magnitudes in the range
-24<M_i<-18 and lie at redshifts less than z~0.9. A variability analysis
reveals that the anti-correlation between luminosity and variability amplitude
continues down to log(L_bol[erg/s]) = 43.5, demonstrating that the relationship
extends by 4 orders of magnitude in AGN luminosity. To further explore the
connection between AGN luminosity and variability, we determine the black hole
mass and the accretion rate through measurement of the H-Beta line width and
the monochromatic luminosity at rest-frame 5,100 angstrom. Our results suggest
that the accretion rate is the dominant parameter impacting the amplitude of
variability and that the anti-correlation between accretion rate and amplitude
extends to rates as low as 1% Eddington. Moreover, we also identify an
anti-correlation between variability amplitude and black hole mass, with the
correlation appearing strongest among the AGN with low accretion rates.
