Digital Equity

The city of Brownsville, Texas, was given that designation in 2014. Since then, officials have made investments to change its status, including supporting the deployment of a fiber network.

Big Apple Connect has helped more than 300,000 public housing residents access the Internet and other digital services since its launch. The move reflects other work in the state to expand broadband.

Plus, Puerto Rico is offering free technical training — ranging from cloud computing to AI — through a new partnership, Arlington County, Va., aims to build digital skills with a new navigator program, and more.

The Social Security Administration will stop issuing paper checks to beneficiaries on Sept. 30, which concerns former Social Security Administration commissioner Martin O’Malley.

Plus, a new Arizona partnership aims to expand Internet access in the state along Interstate 17; Cook County, Ill., is planning a learning symposium event for Digital Inclusion Week; and more.

The new AT&T Connected Learning Center is the first in Grand Rapids and the third in the state of Michigan, outfitted with educational tools, free digital literacy courses and tutoring and mentoring.

Plus, Baltimore’s new AI computer lab aims to bring digital skills to the community, stakeholder groups have submitted comments to the FCC on the state of U.S. broadband deployment, and more.

In a video interview, a Tyler Technologies exec talked about new public agency requirements for website and mobile accessibility, coming a little more than 35 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act became law.

Officials announced that the state has joined the OpenAI Certification Program through a partnership with OpenAI that will bolster AI skills in workers and students. It builds on an earlier initiative, the OpenAI Academy.

Plus, Hawaii has announced a Digital Aloha Month campaign, California is piloting improvements to an affordable broadband initiative, Santa Barbara launched a digital resource hub, and more.

Plus, members of Congress are calling for clarity on the use of nondeployment funds under the BEAD Program, New York is investing millions in broadband, and people who are incarcerated are learning digital skills.

A new resource from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration offers states guidance on how to use federal funding to support AI literacy training in the workforce.

Local governments are investing in digital equity, which can serve as the foundation to advance the implementation of other emerging technologies including AI. Good data is the foundation for both.

In his State of the University address this week, President Andrew Armacost outlined several major projects for the University of North Dakota, one of which was becoming "the AI university for North Dakota."

Plus, tribal nations face connectivity gaps, Durham, N.C., is delivering hot spots to residents, Nebraska libraries expand skills training, and fiber expansion provides connectivity to states in the Midwest.

Plus, Massachusetts is investing more than $31 million to get residents connected, a Cleveland digital inclusion nonprofit is coming to Detroit, a new resource outlines a blueprint for AI literacy, and more.

The nonprofit AI Education Project (aiEDU) has launched a new program aimed at supporting artificial intelligence literacy and workforce readiness in rural and Indigenous communities across the U.S.

Plus, a U.S. senator is calling on Arielle Roth to fund NTIA programs as Congress authorized, federal broadband legislation could create more accountability, Kansas is investing in digital literacy training, and more.