What’s New in Digital Equity: Chicago Campaign Aims to Combat Device Gap

This week in “What’s New in Digital Equity” — our weekly look at government digital equity and broadband news — we have a number of interesting items, which you can jump to with the links below:

• Chicago Campaign Aims to Combat Device Gap
• Coalition of Organizations Urge Support for the ReConnecting Rural America Act
• ITIF Report Calls to Cut Redundant Federal Broadband Programs
• Second Cohort of U.S. Digital Corps Announced
• Oklahoma Broadband Office Completes Statewide Listening Tour
• Arkansas Launches Broadband Survey, Digital Skills Plan
• Maryland Launches Campaign to Close the Digital Divide
• Hawaii Legislation Supports Telecommunications Accessibility

CHICAGO CAMPAIGN AIMS TO COMBAT DEVICE GAP

The city of Chicago is encouraging Chicago businesses and other organizations to donate computers no longer in use to be refurbished and given to families in need of Internet-enabled devices.

The monthlong campaign, announced by Mayor Brandon Johnson and World Business Chicago this week, aims to combat a gap highlighted by Census data that found 260,000 households in the city lack a device at home.

For additional context, the Chicago Digital Equity Coalition found 61 percent of participants discussed affordability as a digital equity barrier and 29 percent said devices are too costly. A citywide survey of over 3,000 residents found that nearly half of respondents without a device are living in extreme poverty.

Now, the city is working with PCs for People and Compudopt, two nonprofits that refurbish old computers and laptops and provide them to households at low or no cost.

“The digital divide disproportionately impacts South and West Side communities and has a severe impact on our youth and students,” said Johnson in the announcement. “I am proud to launch Chi Device Donation Month, which will help put these devices into the hands of students and their families, and remove a long-standing barrier to achievement, employment, and helping Chicagoans thrive well into the 21st century.”

The city will promote opportunities for households to obtain these devices through activities like community distribution events and giveaways. After the initial campaign ends, the opportunity to donate old devices will still be available on an ongoing basis.

More information can be found on the campaign website.

COALITION OF ORGANIZATIONS URGE SUPPORT FOR THE RECONNECTING RURAL AMERICA ACT

A group of organizations urged Congress to support the ReConnecting Rural America Act in a letter this week. Organizations include NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association, the Fiber Broadband Association and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

“This is a time when public policy plays an important role in helping to build and sustain broadband in rural markets that would not otherwise justify such investments and ongoing operations,” the letter stated.

According to the letter, this legislation would make USDA’s ReConnect Loan and Grant Program permanent, helping ensure long-term digital inclusion for rural communities. The letter urges the consideration of this legislation during ongoing negotiations regarding the 2023 Farm Bill.

ITIF REPORT CALLS TO CUT REDUNDANT FEDERAL BROADBAND PROGRAMS

A new report from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation calls for Congress to address the redundancy that results from multiple overlapping federal broadband programs. According to the report, this can also help sustain the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

The report findings argue that the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program has sufficient funding to connect all rural areas, making other broadband deployment funding redundant. It argues that when BEAD is completed, the ACP should be the only ongoing subsidy program.

However, importantly, the report notes that this plan would still leave certain U.S. populations offline, and those groups would need different policy solutions to close the digital divide.

SECOND COHORT OF U.S. DIGITAL CORPS ANNOUNCED

The U.S. General Services Administration’s second cohort of fellows in the U.S. Digital Corps (USDC) was announced this week. The program, which was first launched in September 2021, aims to bring new technologists into federal government agencies to help solve complicated issues. The first cohort of 40 participating fellows was welcomed in June 2022.

The second cohort is made up of 48 fellows who will support 13 federal agencies. The fellows will support agencies with skills such as software engineering and data science during their two years in the program.

The program has received high demand for participation, and agency partners have also cited the impact of contributions from the first cohort as a reason for continuing and expanding participation. Applications for the third cohort, slated to start in summer 2024, will open this fall.

OKLAHOMA BROADBAND OFFICE COMPLETES STATEWIDE LISTENING TOUR

Nineteen stops later, the Oklahoma Broadband Office (OBO) has concluded its statewide listening tour, “Let’s Get Digital: Oklahoma Broadband Tour.” According to an announcement, the tour saw hundreds of Oklahoma residents between May 8 and July 18, as the state collected input about broadband needs from residents, farmers, business owners, educators, tribal governments and other stakeholders.

Attendees helped the state identify five top priorities: improved high-speed infrastructure, increased speed and reliability of Internet connections; making Internet service more affordable; ensuring a skilled workforce; and improved access to public computing centers and Wi-Fi. These findings will help as the OBO creates its five-year digital equity plan for incoming federal funding.

ARKANSAS LAUNCHES BROADBAND SURVEY, DIGITAL SKILLS PLAN

Oklahoma is not the only state investing in the digital equity planning process. The Arkansas State Broadband Office (ASBO) has launched a Digital Skills and Opportunity Survey to help inform its planning process as the state works to deploy federal funding made possible through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The state must also develop a plan to address its digital skills gap and a five-year action plan for Internet access.

The survey launched this week aims to collect information from constituents on how and why they use the Internet as well as barriers they face to connectivity. Listening sessions will also help inform state efforts. The final Digital Skills and Opportunity plan must be submitted to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration in November 2023.

MARYLAND LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO CLOSE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

Maryland’s new ActNow campaign, launched this week in partnership with EducationSuperHighway, marks the latest in a series of public-sector entities that have launched similar campaigns to increase awareness of and enrollment in the Affordable Connectivity Program. Other related campaigns have been launched in places including Michigan, Colorado, San Francisco, Baltimore and Rhode Island.

In Maryland, the campaign is a partnership with EducationSuperHighway and 20 community organizations in the state.

“The discounts offered under this program and the investments we are making have the power to expand opportunities for Marylanders across the state,” said Gov. Wes Moore in the announcement.

HAWAII LEGISLATION SUPPORTS TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACCESSIBILITY

New legislation in Hawaii enacted earlier this month by Gov. Josh Green will help ensure telecommunications access for individuals with disabilities. First introduced in January 2023, the measure states that the Public Utilities Commission is obligated to maintain access to essential telecommunications services and information for individuals who are blind or have low vision.

The act appropriates up to $150,000 in funds from the Public Utilities Commission special fund for this commission to do so.