- Global Accessibility Awareness
- Initiative to Upskill Older Adults
- Baltimore Computer Lab Upgrades
- Tracking Fiber Broadband Deployments
- The Close the Gap Act
GLOBAL ACCESSIBILITY AWARENESS
Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) was last Thursday, and state and local governments commemorated the day by raising awareness for accessibility. This year, there was a focus on digital accessibility, which is top of mind as governments work to comply with the forthcoming federal accessibility deadline. Their failure to do so could cause a divide in people’s abilities to use digital services.
The state of Massachusetts held a “lunch and learn” event and shared live trainings and webinars to raise awareness around digital accessibility. No fewer than 26 percent of the state’s population self-identifies as having a disability. Among state resources, the video below underlines the importance of inclusive design.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro proclaimed May 21 as GAAD, highlighting the state’s emphasis on making digital content accessible. During the week prior to GAAD, employees across the state government took part in a hands-on learning session with screen readers and celebrated milestones the state has made. Notably, baseline accessibility testing has been completed for all 26 High-Impact Service Provider applications. Pennsylvania has been working ahead of schedule to meet the federal accessibility deadline.
Michigan shared information about GAAD on its website, citing data that 98 percent of website homepages analyzed by WebAIM had at least one failure to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0.
At the local level, cities including Arlington, Mass., took the opportunity to highlight recent work, like its own move to a new agendas and minutes portal in January.
“Unifying the thousands of meeting documents generated annually into one system and updating our internal workflows went a long way toward improving access to these documents and advancing our digital [Americans with Disabilities Act] ADA compliance goals,” Arlington Town Manager Jim Feeney said in a statement.
Governments that do not make their digital content accessible face litigation risks.
INITIATIVE TO UPSKILL OLDER ADULTS
A collaborative initiative between the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) and the Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) from AARP aims to help expand seniors’ digital literacy. The partnership was announced at Fiber Connect 2026.
Through the initiative, FBA’s network of fiber providers will connect senior centers, community centers and libraries to fiber broadband — at low or no cost in some cases. OATS’ Senior Planet program will enable access to education.
For the program's first community deployment site, GFiber has partnered with the city of Chandler, Ariz., to offer OATS in the community’s senior centers.
The collaboration provides FBA members with an opportunity to “invest in their aging communities,” according to a statement from FBA Vice President of Research and Workforce Development Deborah Kish.
BALTIMORE COMPUTER LAB UPGRADES
In local news, the city of Baltimore celebrated the reopening of the Brooklyn Homes Computer Lab last Thursday. This is part of a broader initiative to modernize technology spaces in five public housing communities across the city.
The $640,000 investment will support computer lab upgrades at Brooklyn Homes, Douglass Homes, Gilmor Homes, Pleasant View Gardens, and the Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC) Scattered Sites Resident Services Building at Latrobe Homes.
NPower Maryland will provide technical support across all locations for up to a year.
It is part of Baltimore City Information and Technology’s Computer Lab Revitalization Project; in addition to HABC sites, the work includes technology upgrades at senior centers and recreation centers in the city.
TRACKING FIBER BROADBAND DEPLOYMENTS
In other local news, broadband providers continue to deploy fiber in communities across the U.S.
Spectrum has announced the expansion of its fiber broadband network to more than 1,800 additional homes and businesses in areas of Pettis County, Mo., more than 2,100 across Warren County, Mo., and more than 2,700 across Pike County, Mo.
GoNetspeed has started construction on a project to bring fiber to more than 4,800 homes and businesses throughout York, Maine.
AT&T has committed $19 billion to bring fiber technology to more than 4 million additional households and businesses across the state of California by 2030.
“By investing in newer, more reliable technology, we can deliver better service, reach more customers, improve our communities, and support California’s economy for years to come,” Susan Santana, president of AT&T California, said in a statement.
THE CLOSE THE GAP ACT
In policy news, U.S. Sen. John Barrasso has introduced the CLOSE THE GAP Act in an effort to streamline the permitting process for broadband infrastructure deployment on federal land.
The bill, if enacted, would expand exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); this would apply to projects involving existing public safety communications facilities, projects on previously analyzed federal land, and federal land with existing authorized utilities, powerline facilities, or roads. It would require federal land management agencies to issue new regulations to streamline the broadband application process on federal land.
NEPA, signed into law in 1970 by President Richard Nixon, established a national policy for environmental protections.
