Digital Equity

Mayor Brandon Scott recently made two key technology hires – a chief data officer and a director of broadband and digital equity – that will help to address the city’s data needs and digital divide.

Director of Digital Inclusion, Detroit

Connecticut's public schools are leading the way in digital education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the push to virtual learning has highlighted existing inequities in access to technology and connectivity, as well as underlined cybersecurity gaps in education.

Before the coronavirus sparked shutdowns throughout North Texas, Dallas city officials greenlit a pilot program in which library patrons could borrow a mobile Wi-Fi device for up to a month.

With the start of the school year just weeks away, Philadelphia city officials on Thursday announced a plan to provide free Internet access for 35,000 low-income families who currently lack it.

The stay-at-home edicts at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic this spring made it obvious that thriving communities in Maine need broadband access, yet for scores of small towns, wider Internet access remains impossible.

Cities across the country are trying to get more of their citizens access to the Internet during the COVID-19 crisis, with essential services such as medicine and education moving online as residents stay home.

Work to bridge the digital divide has gained momentum in recent years in state and local government, and it may be boosted further by the novel coronavirus reinforcing the importance of having the Internet at home.

Advocates and government staffers in the broadband and digital equity space say there is a renewed interest in supporting their work, with shelter-at-home orders emphasizing the need to bridge digital divides.

Broadband and Digital Equity Advocate, Boston

At best, data from the Federal Communications Commission tells an incomplete story about broadband in the states. Here's what Wisconsin, North Carolina and West Virginia have done to paint a clearer picture.

Plus, Philadelphia has launched an open data survey; Missouri has built a new website to centralize state government job postings; Pew creates an interactive state debt comparison tool; and more.

Detroit’s Digital Inclusion Officer Joshua Edmonds explains what his role is within city government, why it matters and the creative solutions he’s working on to bridge the digital divide for residents.

Plus, the CA.gov redesign is now underway; new tools created to help address online misinformation; Census State Data Centers are offering localized training resources for community groups; and more!

Over the last decade, Minnesota school districts have made tech a central part of lives in and outside the classroom. They’ve spent hundreds of thousands annually to equip students and teachers with a tablet or laptop.

Philadelphia has awarded digital equity grants to eight community groups that are working to foster Census completion in communities that are traditionally hard to count. The grants range in size from $13,000 to $40,000.

As government agencies and nonprofit groups help prepare communities for the nation’s first high-tech Census, digital inclusion advocates see a chance to bridge digital divides that span well past next year’s count.