Digital Equity

The construction phase of a multiyear project to provide high-speed fiber-optic Internet to more than 16,000 rural residents in Lowndes County has begun. The project will connect around 96 percent of the unserved county census blocks.

Over the past three years, Ed Farm has opened K-12 learning spaces to train students in STEM, created specialized training to empower STEM teachers and provided virtual resources and tech internships at the university level.

Plus, the White House announces $25.7 million in new Internet grants for tribal communities in two states, Delaware names an executive director for its newly created broadband office and more.

A new report has found that only 12 percent of eligible residents have signed up for the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program, which helps pay for high-speed Internet.

Narrowing the digital divide between those who can't afford a computer or Internet access and those who can is the goal of a program taking place in several communities in Essex County, including Haverhill.

The nation's largest municipal broadband program has expanded by nearly 50 percent, now delivering free Internet and basic cable television to approximately 300,000 New Yorkers in public housing.

Officials in Harlingen, Texas, are considering a range of options to bridge the digital divide, including working with broadband service providers, teaming up with Cameron County and searching for grant money.

Plus, a continued look at what some state and local governments are doing to increase participation in the Affordable Connectivity Program, and more.

Assistant Secretary Roberto Rodriguez of the U.S. Department of Education has seen recent progress in narrowing the digital divide and thinks new technologies could help address several problems while creating others.

A dozen towns throughout Lewis County, N.Y., will now have access to 27 Wi-Fi hot spots thanks to a collaboration between the county and Internet service provider Spectrum. The project was created through a $370,000 program with Spectrum.

The AT&T Connected Learning Center, located at the Rincon Education Center, increases Internet access for tribal community members, while providing opportunities for students to do homework and for adults to seek employment.

The county board of commissioners is asking to be considered for the state’s Realizing Opportunities for Broadband Infrastructure Networks grant, seizing the opportunity to apply before the next round of grants in 2024.

Plus, Vermont is the latest state actively seeking resident input on its digital equity planning, Hawaii's state digital equity leader is honored by a pair of new awards, and more.

The Washington, D.C., Department of Corrections has implemented a pilot program to help individuals who are incarcerated gain access to cloud certifications that will help ensure they earn living wages upon their release.

Colorado Office of Information Technology's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Senior Manager Sarah Consuelo Hernandez on her approach to human-centered design, increasing diversity in IT and making a lasting impact.

Plus, more about Kansas' $15 million of federal funding for digital equity; U.S. senators reintroduce digital equity legislation, $180 for digital equity heading to libraries, and more.

Mayor Ben Walsh’s administration has proposed using federal stimulus money to build a city-owned wireless network offering 100-megabit broadband service to some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.

Some ed-tech experts say the need to close the digital divide will only grow more urgent as Internet-based artificial intelligence tools become commonplace in schools and universities.