States are preparing to deploy investments from recently announced federal funding allocations for digital equity, but in taking advantage of this limited-time opportunity, achieving digital equity will require a multifaceted approach.
Diego Deleersnyder, associate director for policy and research with the Aspen Institute Latinos and Society Program, told Government Technology that there are certain digital equity gaps that disproportionately affect the Latino community — particularly in the way of digital literacy, he said, citing research from the National Skills Coalition. There are also gaps in access to broadband and Internet-enabled devices.
Deleersnyder attributes this in part to systemic causes, with the Latino community traditionally having had less access to higher education institutions than other demographics. He also underlined underrepresentation of this population in the tech industry, both in the workforce at large and in leadership roles.
The resource, Aspen Principles for Latino Digital Success, highlights four key principles: digital access, digital skills, digital empowerment and investments for sustainability.
Deleersnyder said defining these guidelines as principles for digital success rather than digital inclusion supports the empowerment of the Latino community to be decision-makers as the economy becomes more digital.
The first two principles focus on the basic foundations of digital inclusion, the first entailing access to high-speed Internet and devices and the second covering digital literacy training for specific community needs.
The second two principles go further. Empowerment aims to increase Latino representation in the tech sector. The fourth principle acknowledges that federal funding investments happening now are part of a unique window of opportunity, but that funding is a limited-time opportunity. Deleersnyder underlines the importance of finding sustainable funding sources and tracking the impact of these investments to inform future investments.
“The allocation of those resources is great news,” he said. “We need to make sure that funding is deployed in a way that closes the gaps and that's why it's important to bring light to where the current needs are.”
The goal is that these principles become a tool for decision-makers in the public sector, as well as in other sectors involved in this work.
“And what we want to make sure is that decision-makers understand the nuances of the Latino community, that they understand that Latinos may have different needs and expectations from other underserved communities — but also understanding that Latinos, we are extremely heterogeneous; there is no one-size-fits-all strategy that will work for all of us,” Deleersnyder said.
While the needs of the Latino community in Miami differ from those of the Latino community in Los Angeles, he has found a shared determination among stakeholders to learn from other communities.
As such, he hopes these guidelines help decision-makers ask the right questions when designing initiatives to make sure they align policy solutions to specific community needs.
The principles were created by the Aspen Latino Digital Success Task Force, which is composed of subject matter experts across sectors, including Code for America CEO Amanda Renteria, National Skills Coalition senior fellow Amanda Bergson-Shilcock and Emmanuel Caudillo, senior adviser for the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics. These experts convened in Miami last January for a series of workshops discussing the best approach to enabling digital success.
Throughout the summit, digital equity experts spoke on the importance of seizing this funding opportunity for a nationwide impact.
“I’ll also say we feel the urgency of this moment because we know that there are communities in need,” said Alan Davidson, administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, during the summit. “And communities of color in particular, including Latino communities, have been so disproportionately harmed by the digital divide."
And as Deleersnyder underlined, support for the Latino community benefits the economy at large.
Part of this is because Latinos make up about 1 in 5 Americans, and research suggests they will represent 78 percent of net new workers between 2020 and 2030, making up an increasingly significant part of the workforce.
“So, this is something that should matter to everyone, not only to Latinos,” Deleersnyder said.
