Digital Equity

Of the many geographic equity issues that leave Western Massachusetts at a disadvantage as compared to other areas, the unavailability of high-speed Internet rates at or near the top of the list.

Preparing to speak Tuesday at the annual Harold Hotelling Memorial Lecture at Lawrence Tech, Michigan State University professor Keith Hampton says broadband connectivity across the U.S. is dramatically under-recorded.

The city of Boston could have to pay close to a billion dollars if it decided to build out a fiber Internet network, according to a new “digital equity” study that detailed gaps to access in the city.

The federal funding is expected to connect 67,857 households and businesses to high-speed Internet, covering 23 percent of locations in the state without access to adequate service, according to officials.

Residents in Marysville, Calif., will soon have access to affordable broadband service and discounts on Internet-enabled devices through an event hosted through the Yuba County Library.

Plus, NTIA has announced grantees through the Connecting Minority Communities program, broadband-related legislation has been introduced, Connect Maryland applications are open, and much more.

The new Future Finder Challenge aims to spur the development of new digital tools designed to help adult learners navigate new career paths as workplaces digitize and job requirements change.

More than a quarter of some of New York's lowest-income households report no Internet subscriptions. And for others, the ability to connect to the Internet exists only in the palm of their hand — 8 percent in the state rely solely on a smartphone.

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and edX report revealed that, from a global group of about 1,400 students and educators, the ability to use tools that work around their lives is most important.

More than 132,000 households in the state lack access to broadband. Some 29 towns, six school districts and four of the 10 tribal territories in the state have less than half of their residences with access to broadband.

Plus, Chicago has posted a new RFI related to expanding broadband access throughout the entire city, Pittsburgh has announced a new digital equity coalition, North Carolina has a digital equity grant program and more.

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said this week that they want to close the region's digital divide within the next five years, calling special attention to racial disparities in service.

The federal Office of Educational Technology during today's National Digital Equity Summit launched its Advancing Digital Equity for All resource, which provides a platform for recommendations to establish equity plans.

Allegheny County and city of Pittsburgh officials have announced plans for a joint program that will work toward closing the region's digital divide by 2027, though full details aren't expected until late spring.

Internet service provider Spectrum announced broadband expansion across Wisconsin’s Chippewa, Eau Claire and Dunn counties. The company will be providing broadband to 1,140 homes across the three area counties.

The grant comes through the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, which began in 2019, and will provide a total of $91.3 million over the next decade to regional cooperatives in the northeastern part of the state.

The federal Affordable Connectivity Program helps people get high-speed Internet at home for $30 a month, but enrollment is at less than 40 percent among eligible households across the country.

Plus, the NTIA has updated its guide for federal broadband funding; New York City is offering free municipal broadband to housing authority residents; a new paper explores telehealth’s impact on maternal health; and more.