- Digital Access Hub for Veterans
- Regional Digital Equity Initiative
- Digital Equity Partnership Program Opens
- Proposed E-Rate Bidding Portal Raises Concerns
- Louisiana Expands Broadband
DIGITAL ACCESS HUB FOR VETERANS
The New York State Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS) and Schoharie County, N.Y., have partnered to launch a dedicated Digital Access Hub for veterans, service members and military families to access reliable broadband Internet service and computers.
The hub, supported by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 2025-2026 state budget, is located at the Schoharie County Office Annex Building. The budget includes $1 million in suicide prevention funding, which enabled the hub's creation.
“By creating a dedicated, technology-enabled space, we are removing obstacles that too often stand between individuals and the benefits they have earned, whether that is connecting with a benefits advisor, joining a support group, or accessing care remotely,” DVS Executive Deputy Commissioner Joel Evans said in a statement.
The goal is to provide a space through which individuals can access telehealth services and appointments with Veterans Affairs or community providers, meet with DVS Veterans Benefits Advisors, participate in wellness or peer support programs, and access other online resources, applications and services.
Schoharie County is the first county in the state to formally establish a space that was designed to support these services and sessions with accredited Veterans Benefits Advisors, officials said.
The hub may serve as a model for other counties across the state to create similar areas to bridge digital inequities for individuals who served in the military and their families.
REGIONAL DIGITAL EQUITY INITIATIVE
The city of Bellevue, Wash., Bellevue College, Washington Technology Solutions and King County Information Technology have announced a new regional partnership focused on civic technology and digital equity in the region: The Exchange Northwest.
The partnership is intended to enable information sharing across sectors and expand access to technology and resources statewide.
“Together, we are building spaces where new ideas can take root, deliver real benefits to our communities, and equitably drive AI innovation,” Bellevue Chief Information Officer Sabra Schneider said in a statement.
The Civic Innovation Exchange will be June 3 in Bellevue. It will be open to the public, convening stakeholders across sectors to explore topics like emerging technologies and workforce development.
DIGITAL EQUITY PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM OPENS
In other news out of Washington state, applications are open for the Digital Equity Partnership Program.
This program, developed through a partnership between Internet provider Lightcurve and the city of Tacoma, provides free Internet service to qualifying organizations that serve low-income and underserved populations in the community.
Eligible public, private and nonprofit organizations that provide critical services to community members can apply through May 31. Organizations selected will receive 12 months of free Internet service. The goal is to help those organizations deliver services that communities rely on.
The application can be completed on Lightcurve’s website.
PROPOSED E-RATE BIDDING PORTAL RAISES CONCERNS
The Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition, along with more than 80 organizations, sent a letter to the FCC raising concerns about the proposed competitive bidding portal for the E-rate program.
The letter urges the Commission not to move forward with this proposal, as it creates “unnecessary and complex rules” that hinder the FCC’s goal to streamline the program’s processes.
Concerns include that the portal’s requirements will be “burdensome and duplicative,” that there may be conflicts with state and local procurement requirements, and that details about the costs associated with the portal’s creation and management were not included in the draft order.
Signees include the American Library Association, the Consortium for School Networking, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance and the Open Technology Institute at New America.
LOUISIANA EXPANDS BROADBAND
The Louisiana Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity, ConnectLA, announced a milestone in broadband expansion. Through the state’s Granting Unserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities (GUMBO) 1.0 program, Optimum has delivered broadband access to 686 households and 58 businesses throughout the Bossier Parish.
“Our approach is centered on execution, which involves getting infrastructure in the ground and delivering reliable service to communities as quickly and efficiently as possible,” Veneeth Iyengar, executive director of ConnectLA, said in a statement.
The GUMBO 1.0 program was funded through the Capital Projects Fund. It aims to help service providers in the state facilitate broadband deployment. The first round of grants was awarded in summer 2022.
The state has a dashboard on the ConnectLA website to view program progress.
