Digital Equity

The U.S. Department of Education has updated its online transparency tool for prospective college students and families with more fine-grained data on potential costs, graduation rates, earnings and other metrics.

Plus, the National League of Cities announces the innovation projects that have won its 2021 Capstone Challenge; applications are now open for a pair of digital inclusion grant programs in Maryland; and more.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer created the office in June 2021 with the aim of expanding broadband Internet access to more residents, but the office as yet has no budget and therefore no fulltime staff.

Because natural disasters disproportionately affect underserved communities, middle school students in Savannah, Ga., are learning to use mapping tools to design infrastructure changes that could protect their neighborhoods.

Plus, a new online dashboard displays Tennessee's redistricting changes; New York City launches bill payment kiosks; MetroLab announces categories to the Civic Innovation Challenge; and more.

Over 3 million households across Texas lack broadband, with the situation being particularly concerning in the western and southern segments of the state and among Latino households.

Goals for the task force include developing new rules to prevent broadband discrimination, the creation of model policies for state and local governments, and revision of the public consumer complaint process.

As mayor of the self-proclaimed Gig City for years, Andy Berke frequently touted the virtues of Chattanooga’s publicly funded high-speed broadband network in enhancing everything from schools to medicine to remote work.

Digital Prince William, a program in Prince William County, Va., launched a pilot project offering free technology classes to older adults to teach them the digital skills necessary to operate mobile technology.

A pair of tech-focused initiatives, the Cal State University system's C-SUCCESS and the CSUF TitanWare program, provide incoming students with tablets, laptops and other devices students need for connectivity.

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted to allocate $500K in grant funding toward broadband access and to consolidate two county departments. The initiatives aim to better serve the county's residents.

Plus, the U.S. Department of Commerce will invest $1.5 million in tribal connectivity programs; Georgia awards $408 million to broadband grants; North Carolina announces $350 million of grant funding for broadband; and more.

A giant investment in rural Internet will wire over 132,000 homes and businesses across Georgia that currently lack access, connecting more than a quarter of the state’s locations that aren’t yet online.

Somerset County has agreed to pay the county’s $50,000 share of the study’s cost, aiming to determine what it would take to build an expansive fiber-optic “ring” from Cambria to Fulton County.

The digital literacy program CanCode got a boost Wednesday in the form of a $50,000 check from the Business for Good foundation, helping with its stated mission of providing digital skills training in the Albany region.

Plus, a new bill proposal in the U.S. House would extend the lifespan of the Chief Data Officers Council; the Urban Libraries Council recognizes the top innovators of 2021 in digital equity; and more.

As the 12-month digital equity pilot program funded by US Ignite enters its final quarter, stakeholders involved in the project are noting its achievements and looking forward to possibly extending the effort.

According to estimates from Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, about 3.2 million people still use 3G devices. These customers could be left behind in terms of phone communications if they don't upgrade in 2022.