Digital Equity

The digital divide leads to lost opportunities for people in underserved broadband areas, officials said as they discussed how to spend $1.16 billion expected from the federal government to help solve the problem.

Plus, Houston is hiring a broadband director; more governors issue comments on the federal BEAD funding for high-speed Internet; and U.S. senators are fighting for a broadband strategy.

The nonprofit Consortium for School Networking’s online dashboard includes data on population demographics, financial information, Internet speeds and other metrics for states and counties across the U.S.

A new publication released today by the Aspen Institute's Latinos and Society Program offers four key principles for Latino digital success in an attempt to guide digital equity work across different sectors.

Maine recently got official word that it will receive $272 million in federal funding to build more Internet connectivity in the state as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law passed by Congress in 2021.

Plus, more state leaders react to recent federal funding decisions on broadband, the National Tribal Telecommunications Association will hold an event in August, and more.

Following challenges to the federal government’s broadband data from local governments and residents, the White House has released each state’s funding amount for broadband projects. Alaska received the most per capita.

Plus, one Florida city is launching a new digital navigators program; Nebraska names a new state broadband director; a Texas city is launching a digital inclusion art contest for students; and more.

The federal government has announced that Washington state will get more than $1.2 billion to expand Internet access. But how big of an impact will the money actually make for residents?

The NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development is working with the city’s library systems to pilot solutions that will expand technology access and use for the constituents the agency serves.

The state is set to receive more than $196.5 million from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration as part of the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program.

Sam Callahan, a third grade teacher and data consultant, says schools can use self-assessments and better systems of organizing and analyzing data to help teachers address racial disparities.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced a $1.16 billion allocation to the state to close the digital divide. Not everyone is convinced it’s enough to bridge the gap.  

Plus, the Public Library Association is awarding $1.27 million to support digital literacy workshops in libraries across the country, Michigan is building 525 miles of new high-speed Internet, and more.

Three Los Angeles departments recently announced a joint plan to tackle the digital divide with a focus on IT upskilling, digital literacy through library technology and remote digital accessibility utilizing the public park system.

Researchers have noticed a pattern relating to low-income majority-minority neighborhoods throughout the U.S.: a lack of Internet access mirrors other inequities, an effect known as cascading risks.

AT&T recently awarded a $100,000 grant to the local Westside Future Fund as part of AT&T’s $2 billion commitment to increase Internet accessibility and affordability in underserved communities.

One of the nation’s largest libraries has nearly doubled its collection spending in the last five years in an attempt to keep up with patrons’ digital demands. But the push has introduced new headaches.