All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico are currently working on digital equity plans. As they release draft plans seeking public feedback, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society is sharing summaries focused on how states define their digital divides and their vision for reaching digital equity.

The draft New Hampshire Digital Equity Plan was created with partnership and collaboration at its core, as a joint effort between the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs, the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, the National Collaborative for Digital Equity (NCDE), and the Digital Equity Research Center at the Metropolitan New York Library Council. Within this plan, these organizations crafted a strategy for sustainable digital equity work in the state. Comments on New Hampshire's draft plan can be submitted until February 7, 2024.

New Hampshire's Vision of Digital Equity

New Hampshire's vision is to empower residents to thrive by enabling access to resources, skills, and other supports needed to participate in today’s digital world.

This vision has informed each stage of the planning process. Consistent with the Digital Equity Act, attention is placed on the five key digital equity objectives and metrics and works to align with existing statewide and regional infrastructure, initiatives, and strategies to address opportunities and outcomes in economic, educational, health, civic engagement, and other essential services.

As many states’ plans have done, the digital equity metrics in this plan also address multilingual tech and digital navigator support, and the need to address not only digital literacy and cybersafety skills, but also media literacy, information literacy, and AI skills, along with financial literacy skills, given the connection with bank Community Reinvestment and other financial inclusion advocates. The plan lays out strategies for fostering and assessing impact regarding the five digital equity objectives and metrics.

The draft plan's mission is to ensure New Hampshire residents, regardless of their location or circumstances, have access to the digital tools, resources, and opportunities essential for success in the 21st century.

Covered Populations and Barriers to Digital Equity

Twenty-six focus groups were facilitated, engaging individuals and organizations representing each of the eight covered populations to learn about the challenges they face in accessing and navigating the internet, as well as their goals and aspirations. Below is a summary of the conversations that took place during the focus group sessions with the eight covered populations identified by the federal government for purposes of the New Hampshire draft plan:

Low-income Individuals and Households

Focus group participants representing low-income persons and those who serve them identified key challenges facing individuals and families and families with low incomes. These include the need for greater access to broadband and devices, education and training, and key services that can be accessed digitally such as health care. Participants highlighted that overcoming these challenges can be aided by utilizing key public assets, such as public libraries, municipal complexes, etc., and creating additional engagement pathways between leaders, municipalities, and internet and technology providers to better create and market existing programs and increase affordability to address challenges.

Individuals 60 Years of Age and Older

The participants of this session included individuals over 60 from across the state, as well as representatives from AARP in New Hampshire, ranging from executive staff to leads of various programs, such as those working with seniors with impairments. Access to high-speed internet and easy-to-use digital devices emerged as key themes throughout the focus group discussion. Participants also identified key barriers to access: lack of understanding of technology, lack of awareness of places seniors can access broadband and devices such as community centers and libraries, and concerns about security (e.g., data and information vulnerabilities, scams, etc.). Additionally, a strong theme centered around impairments that many seniors have, such as auditory and visual impairments, mobility issues, cognitive issues, motor skills issues, etc.

Incarcerated and Post-Incarcerated Population

The incarcerated community faces unique challenges regarding access to the Internet and digital tools and services. The primary concern is around access to digital tools and services in a secure environment. All systems within the perimeter need to be secure to not allow incarcerated individuals to contact the outside world, which could open the door to targeting and victimizing individuals. As a result of the security challenges, which require hands-on oversight given the lack of technology infrastructure for security, there is limited availability of technology tools, such as tablets, two-way video, and other devices. The security challenges also make it difficult to connect to educational curricula, vocational training, telehealth, religious services, and many other resources that could build the skills and well-being of incarcerated individuals. Issues and challenges identified by the post-incarcerated community include access to the internet, devices, and training as key gaps. More salient, they identified access to digital educational resources, such as family support groups, parenting counselors, and other community re-entry supports. Post-incarcerated populations often have limited exposure to digital devices and lack the digital literacy skills to be able to use tools and services effectively. As such, there is a deep need for training that gives post-incarcerated individuals with relevant work skills that track with good-paying jobs.

Veterans

Digital equity efforts can help address inequities by providing all veterans with equal access to digital resources such as telehealth video appointments, education, career opportunities, social connections, vocational endeavors, and substance use disorder programs. These are crucial services in modern life and are especially important for veterans. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of digital equity for this group. In 2020, the Department of Veterans Affairs experienced a 1000% increase in telehealth video appointments due to the pandemic—an example of the importance of the Internet for veterans to access benefits, education and career opportunities, and social connections.

Individuals with Disabilities

The needs of the disability community depend on the type of disability (e.g., visual, physical, cognitive, or auditory, etc.). Each disability has its own needs, including the need for adaptive devices or technologies. Multiple organizations support adaptive technologies in New Hampshire, from Northeast Passage to school-based programs that serve a diverse age range. Funding to support adaptive technologies, which can be expensive and may only impact a small number of people, is lacking. The New Hampshire Department of Education provides resources through various programs (SPED, etc.), but additional resources are needed to serve the adult population. Lastly, to use adaptive technologies, there must be a basic level of digital literacy. It is challenging for many to access digital literacy resources. Lastly, there is a need for enhanced technical support and hands-on assistance to support the basic use of digital tools, resources, and devices, as well as adaptive technologies. Making this technical support available through schools, institutions, community centers, libraries, etc., will be critical to ensuring digital literacy among the disability community.

Individuals with a Language Barrier

The participants of the focus group session reflecting this covered population—the majority of whom represented refugees and immigrants—identified a lack of access to digital devices and broadband internet, as was the case with other covered populations. They also identified a gap in digital content available in multiple languages, such as information about resources, programs, translation services, etc. Further, there is a lack of multilingual technology support, as well as barriers to accessing other resources, such as vocational training, telehealth, and employment resources. Furthermore, there appears to be a cultural stigma associated with digital technologies—aside from video games and Roblox—so there is a need to build trust with the linguistically diverse learner community. This entails parent education and awareness building. Lastly, there is a need for building digital literacy, but doing so is not only relevant to curricula but also for practical purposes such as enhancing one’s ability to access resources, workforce opportunities, educational resources, etc. Important to note, this focus group session identified general literacy as a key challenge for those with limited or no reading and writing ability. Navigating digital devices is challenging for those with low literacy levels.

Individuals who are Members of a Racial or Ethnic Minority Group

The participants of this session identified accessibility to devices and connection, digital literacy, community building, and improved resiliency as major gaps. They also identified the importance of supportive policies that emphasize the need for systemic and intentional inclusion moving forward. Current inequitable access to opportunities was a key theme of discussion, particularly around digital literacy. Strategies and actions that were identified by focus group participants to overcome these and barriers included more effort to include racial and ethnic minorities in the policy and decision-making process, partnering with service providers to develop programs that expand access to services and devices, tapping into state and federal grants to build out programming, utilizing social media and existing networks to expand the opportunities for capacity building around greater inclusion in policies and programming, creating literacy requirements for schools around technology and the digital world, and lastly, better incorporating digital literacy into curricula.

Individuals who Primarily Reside in a Rural Area

The participants of this session identified access to devices, reliable and affordable internet service, and training as gaps in services for rural individuals and communities. The group identified access to technology and infrastructure, resources and services, internet safety, education and training, access to healthcare, and economic development opportunities as the main themes of the discussion. Strategies identified by the group to overcome these gaps included investing in public/private partnerships to assist rural individuals and communities with access to devices and services that they can afford and operate, providing educational and vocational opportunities, more resources to support literacy, and access to devices that fit the needs of the user (like job training that entails digital literacy skills and increases the possibility of attaining meaningful employment), greater leveraging of community assets to increase accessibility (such as libraries, municipal buildings, community centers to increase participation and knowledge).

Native American Community

While there are no federally recognized tribes or tribal lands in New Hampshire, there is a rich history of indigenous settlement in the state and a vibrant network of Granite Staters of Native descent today. Persons of Native American heritage come from the Abenaki, Androscoggin, Cowasuk, Kennebec, Missisquois, Norridgewock, Pennacook, Penobscot, Pequawket, Sokokis, and Wawencok tribes (New Hampshire Magazine, 2023). According to the New Hampshire digital equity survey results, affordability is a major barrier for the 25 respondents who identified as American Indian or Alaskan Native, half of whom indicated they could not afford internet service that is $50 or more per month. Furthermore, although approximately one-third of respondents would be eligible for a subsidy under the Affordable Connectivity Program, 80 percent indicated that they were unaware of the program. This suggests that there is a need for outreach and support to help individuals and households identifying as Native American to get connected to affordable internet. To assist with outreach and engagement, the Planning Team has been working closely with the leadership of the New Hampshire Funders Forum’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Affinity Group, and the program officer for the state’s multi-year Endowment for Health’s “race and equity” initiative aimed at fostering more welcoming, inclusive communities, especially regarding educational opportunity, workforce development, criminal justice and law enforcement, and civic engagement.

Digital Equity Strategy and Objectives

The draft digital equity plan focuses on five key objectives and metrics set forth by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which are framed as goal areas. Within each of the five goals is a set of objectives, comprised of specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time-bound (SMART) actions to achieve that goal.

Goal 1: Affordable and Reliable Broadband Access

Objective 1: Increase the number of New Hampshire households connected to high-speed internet with a minimum of 100/20 Megabits per second (Mbps).

Strategy 1.1: Leverage federal funds to expand broadband access by enabling more New Hampshire households to connect by providing or incentivizing more affordable Broadband plans that feature at least 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload speed.

Metric: Increase the number of households accessing broadband with 100/20 Mbps by 10 percent per year over four years.

Objective 2: Expand broadband internet access within Community Anchor Institutions (CAIs), including schools, libraries, and community centers.

Strategy 2.1: Prioritize project funding requests that bring high-speed internet infrastructure to, or expand to, Community Anchor Institutions.

Metric: A substantive increase in the number of CAI’s that have actionable plans, projects, or proposals in place for 1 Gig broadband access by 2029.

Objective 3: Expand broadband access within public housing units and subsidized housing residences.

Strategy 3.1: Support and supplement programs by partner organizations that serve to connect residents of public housing with high-speed internet.

Metric: Increase the number of residents of affordable housing units that have access to free or low-cost connectivity ($30 or under) by at least 10 percent per year over four years.

Objective 4: Increase enrollment in programs that defray the cost of high-speed internet.

Strategy 4.1: Target outreach to covered populations to make them aware of programs that can help defray the cost of high-speed Internet, such as the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and affordable pricing plans by providers.

Strategy 4.2: Work with internet service providers and partner organizations to promote and implement programs that defray the cost of high-speed internet

Metric: Support efforts that increase enrollment in initiatives like the ACP, aiming to double the number of households from covered populations enrolled in such programs by 2029.

Goal 2: Access to Computers and Assisted Devices, Coupled with Technical Support

Objective 1: Support and expand programs for new and refurbished devices and laptops, along with tech support to ensure safe and effective use.

Strategy 1.1: Prioritize project funding requests that expand access to refurbished laptops and devices with emphasis on covered populations such as low-income individuals, those with disabilities, seniors, and veterans.

Metric: Increase by 10 percent annually the number of households that benefit from programs that provide affordable, reliable, and suitable digital devices that meet their needs.

Strategy 1.2: Educate New Hampshire philanthropic leaders on why and how to fund devices, bundled with resources and tech support, to enhance the impacts of their grantmaking on covered populations, such as incarcerated or recently released individuals and English language learners.

Strategy 1.3: Launch a sustained public engagement campaign encouraging and assisting individuals, employers, public agencies and others to donate used devices for refurbishment.

Metric: Increase by 10% annually the number of refurbished computers and devices including desktop workstation bundles and laptops—donated to eligible programs.

Objective 2: Improve access to and awareness of technical support and training in the use of assistive devices, including assistive technologies for those with disabilities.

Strategy 2.1: Prioritize project funding requests that build awareness of technical support and training.

Metric: By 2029, all organizations that serve covered populations will be aware of and utilize available technical support and training by veteran service organizations and community groups serving low-income populations and the disabled community.

Strategy 2.2: Promote, enhance, and expand existing and develop new programs that provide digital navigators to clients who are members of a covered population, such incarcerated or recently released individuals navigate newer technologies.

Strategy 2.3: Develop a statewide network of linguistically diverse digital navigators that offers support, training, and professional credentialing to enhance the skills of technical support professionals who serve members of covered populations.

Metric: By 2029 develop a statewide network of at least 100 linguistically diverse digital navigators will provide professional development opportunities and best practice trainings to ensure that covered populations have access to skilled support in communities throughout the state.

Goal 3: Enhanced Digital Literacy Skill Development

Objective 1: Enhance digital skills training for covered populations such as seniors, low-income individuals and non-English speaking persons on basic computer use, internet navigation, online safety, accessing services, software applications, and assessing the quality of online information.

Strategy 1.1 Prioritize funding for programs that seek to develop or expand digital literacy. Metric: Double the number of digital skills training courses offered at libraries, workforce centers, and in schools by 2029.

Objective 2: Develop a clearinghouse or directory of online tutorials and resources to help individuals learn digital skills at their own pace.

Strategy 2.1 Utilize Digital Equity Implementation funding to develop a directory of resources that are vetted and cataloged using best practices in digital learning delivery.

Metric: By 2025, go live with a 211-like referral help desk and website that points to free, self-paced, quality digital skill-building resources.

Objective 3: Build capacity and resources to integrate digital literacy into curricula, from early education through educator preparation and higher education, so that current and future students of all ages acquire critical digital skills.

Strategy 3.1 Prioritize funding for programs that seek to integrate digital literacy into curricula through the development of institutional policies.

Metric: See a measurable increase of public and private schools and other educational institutions that incorporate age-appropriate digital literacy curricula across the education spectrum.

Objective 4: Partner with libraries, community centers, schools, colleges/universities, and learning centers to provide access to computers, internet, and digital literacy resources.

Strategy 4.1 Prioritize support to libraries and other Community Anchor Institutions to expand access to computers and digital literacy resources.

Metric: By 2029, expand the number of public libraries providing access to computers, internet connections, and digital literacy resources by 50 percent in all regions of the state.

Objective 5: Increase the number of digital literacy educators available to teach covered populations and recruit linguistically diverse youth and adults to provide multilingual support.

Strategy 5.1 Partner with public libraries and organizations serving covered populations, including English learners, to establish a statewide network of digital navigators.

Strategy 5.2 Recruit and train linguistically diverse youth and adults to provide technical support and digital literacy resources in a variety of languages other than English.

Metric: By 2029, enable each region of the state to have access to at least 5 trained digital navigators to support covered populations.

Objective 6: Strengthen the digital pedagogy skills of educators to design and facilitate online and hybrid learning, employ competency-based learning, and address digital-age learner needs.

Strategy 6.1 Support educators in developing and implementing effective curricula and strategies that address the challenges of digital-age learners.

Metric: By 2029, ensure that at least half of all educators surveyed across all education levels report that they are confident in their skills in online and hybrid learning delivery and competency-based learning to address the needs of digital-age learners.

Goal 4: Cybersafety Skills Development

Objective 1: Expand outreach to covered populations so that they have the knowledge, resources, and technical support to enable them to use the internet safely and securely.

Strategy 1.1 Prioritize project funding requests that build cybersecurity awareness and skills and explore ways to build upon existing initiatives and programs.

Metric: By 2029, double the number of statewide programs serving covered populations that have cybersafety outreach and education elements.

Objective 2: Provide technical support to organizations, public institutions, businesses, and other organizations to help ensure that their data is safe and secure.

Strategy 2.1 Prioritize project funding requests that help organizations, public institutions, businesses, and other organizations secure data.

Metric: By 2029, reduce the number of incidents of data breaches at organizations, businesses, and public institutions by 25 percent.

Objective 3: Develop tools and resources that raise awareness of how to respond to cyber threats and increase cybersafety for covered populations.

Strategy 3.1 Support efforts to develop tools and resources that raise awareness among covered populations of cybersecurity threats.

Metric: By 2029, increase by 50%the number of tools and resources that engage covered populations and defend against cyber threats by 2029.

Goal 5: Enhanced Access to Web Portals to Essential Public Resources

Objective 1: Build upon existing efforts to improve the accessibility of key websites that provide information on public resources, particularly those pertaining to services for members of covered populations.

Strategy 1.1: Assess remaining needs relative to state agency websites and complete an assessment of additional, critical programs typically used by covered populations, and support efforts to address identified needs for improvement.

Strategy 1.2: Ensure that key websites meet W3C global website accessibility standards. Metric: By 2029, all state-based programs identify and seek to address website accessibility issues as part of an overarching strategy with defined goals and timelines.

Objective 2: Support the development of a directory or portal of digital equity-related resources, drawing from the asset inventory conducted as part of this plan’s development.

Strategy 2.1: Create, or support the creation of, an online directory of digital equity-related resources, such as current programs highlighted in this plan’s asset inventory, efforts resulting from this proposed plan, and other complimentary resources and initiatives, that is regularly managed to ensure information is accurate, relevant, and current.

Metric: Enable the launch of a digital equity resource directory or portal by 2025.

Implementation Plan

New Hampshire's plan includes overarching implementation strategies to help ensure that the infrastructure, policies, and processes remain in place to support progress toward the state's goals and objectives.

Overarching Strategy 1: Establish and Build Out Administrative Capacity and Seek Related Funding

Core Staff Support: Dedicated staff capacity is necessary to provide ongoing support to state and regional stakeholders and ensure that efforts and activities are aligned with the plan’s goals and objectives. There is a need for staff to manage the allocation of resources and reinforce a common set of shared measurement practices by implementing partners.

Coordination/Collaboration: To effectively implement the digital equity plan with contributions from numerous organizations, it is essential to establish a structured framework for coordinating efforts across diverse partners. This involves convening partners and stakeholders, clarifying expectations, offering logistical support for project implementation, and ensuring collaborative efforts to optimize resource utilization. This structure is anticipated to be facilitated through or alongside regionally-based entities and statewide partners where appropriate.

Communication: Any successful plan necessitates a clear communication strategy. This strategy should ensure mutual understanding among partners regarding goals, objectives, expectations, and efforts. Additionally, it should make the intended populations for digital equity efforts aware of available resources. People should know how to access these resources and have clear means to assess whether and how well these supports meet their needs. Such communication efforts are anticipated to be funneled through State agency staff, as well as contracted vendors and collaborative partners.

Formative Measurement: To hold accountable those funded to design and carry out digital equity efforts at the local, regional, and state levels, tools and processes are needed that enable key stakeholders — including regional coalitions and statewide partners — to assess progress and inform the implementation strategies as contextual factors evolve.

Overarching Strategy 2: Foster a Culture of Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement

Partnerships: Over eighty organizations were directly engaged in the planning process, many of which are implementing programs that serve to meet one or more of the plan’s goals. This plan recognizes that these partner organizations will be instrumental in carrying out the goals and implementation strategies given their depth of experience, their current efforts, and their relationships with each of the covered populations.

Regional and Statewide Collaboration: New Hampshire's proposed plan emphasizes the need to establish or build upon a structure that actively involves regional and statewide stakeholders in the plan’s implementation, particularly given regional variations in the needs of covered populations. This can be addressed by either forming regional digital equity coalitions or utilizing existing regional entities as the vehicles for bringing together representatives of stakeholders and members of covered populations. The goal of such collaboration is to actively engage stakeholders, pinpoint regional as well as statewide needs and provide support to ensure the successful implementation of the plan. Such an approach could also evolve into a statewide council, or leadership committee, that helps facilitate meetings and strategic next steps, if core staff, partners, and stakeholders see a need for such a leadership group.

Continued Engagement: For any plan to be responsive to its constituents' needs, a process must be in place for people and organizations to share needs, resources, and ideas. With support from NCDE and UNH Cooperative Extension, regional and statewide collaborators will be key to ensuring the continued engagement of local, regional, and statewide stakeholders and covered populations to ensure that implementation efforts address regional priorities and advance the plan’s goals and objectives.

Overarching Strategy 3: Establish a Predictable and Open Process for Management, Distribution, and Oversight of Funds

Administration, Oversight, and Fund Distribution: Core BEA support staff will be charged with administering and overseeing the funding received and approved for use within this proposed plan, which will include among other things, program development for the purpose of project-based awards within the defined plan objectives as well as grant and contract administration concerning use of those funds. Executing various aspects of this plan may entail the issuance of Request for Proposals (RFPs) leading to contracts with third parties to achieve defined objectives. The acceptance and expenditure of federal funds will require authorization through public legislative and executive bodies, such as the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee and the Governor & Executive Council, with directly administered subawards, awards, or contracts also requiring additional authorization by the Governor & Council in most circumstances. Any programs developed by use of these funds will entail public disclosure of program guidelines, such as eligibility requirements, application details, permitted uses and purposes of funding, and also take into account stakeholder and covered population input and feedback, and operate within applicable state and federal regulations.

State and Regional Priority Setting: Use of funds will not only function to advance defined objectives and strategies but also work to target and align with state and regional priorities and needs, utilizing the collaborative frameworks previously described as part of the implementation strategies for this proposed plan.

Transparency in Use of Funds: As part of its administration and oversight of these funds, the State will publicly post periodic reports detailing authorized uses and approved awards and contracts.

Overarching Strategy 4: Launch a Sustained Public Outreach and Engagement Campaign

Promote Initiatives that Defray the Cost of High-Speed Internet: Central to expanding broadband access will be raising awareness of programs that reduce the cost of high-speed internet, such as the FCC’s ACP, affordable pricing plans offered by internet service providers, and other programs designed to assist eligible households, such as those offered through organizations that assist individuals in signing up for these programs.

Promote Initiatives that Defray the Cost of Computers and Assistive Devices: To expand digital opportunities, it is vital to improve access to free and discounted computers and assistive devices. For example, FCC's ACP provides a one-time $100 device subsidy through local broadband providers in New Hampshire. Moreover, it will be critical to educate corporate giving, bank Community Reinvestment administrators, foundations, and hospital Community Benefits compliance leaders on how they can use New Hampshire's digital equity resources to maximize the impact of their philanthropic investments and integrate digital equity funding into their grantmaking portfolios long-term.

Direct People to Existing Resources: In order to leverage the current digital equity ecosystem, it is imperative to spread the word about it, including online portals and directories, such as the directory of digital equity assets developed as part of this plan, Inclusion Junction’s pointers to navigator programs and ACP enrollment assistants, the state’s 211 help desk, and other programs that serve the needs of diverse populations.

Enhance Cybersafety Awareness and Skills: A crucial step in fostering cybersafety awareness is to partner with institutions, organizations, and associations like the New Hampshire Department of Information Technology, Granite United Way, and AARP New Hampshire. These and other collaborators are key to promoting internet safety and guiding individuals to tools and resources that can help ensure their online safety.

Develop Media Partnerships to Promote Resources: Establishing media partnerships is crucial for promoting the diverse resources that support digital equity. This involves collaborating with multiple media channels, including print, online, radio, and television, to promote these resources and raise public awareness about digital equity resources.

Overarching Strategy 5: Establish a System for Measuring Outcomes and Plan Progress

Baseline Assessment: Drawing from the survey and demographic data collected and compiled as part of this plan, a primary step will be to establish baseline metrics for measuring change concerning broadband and device access, digital literacy, cybersecurity, and other relevant indicators. These baseline indicators will serve as a reference point for measuring progress toward the plan’s goals and objectives over time.

Robust Mechanism for Collecting Data: Once a baseline assessment is established, an effective mechanism for data collection will be put in place that involves the development and deployment of data collection methodologies (e.g., surveys, progress reports, indicator tracking systems, etc.), including those necessary any such metrics required by the federal government as part of any required quarterly or annual reporting.

Collaboration and Partnership Metrics: In addition to measuring progress towards the goals and objectives outlined in this plan, it will be vital to implement systems to evaluate the effectiveness of collaborations with partner organizations to ensure that they result in progress towards the plan’s goals and objectives and result in enhanced regional and statewide capacity, a feature likely to be addressed as part of any award or contract terms with awardees, contractors, or partners.

Long-Term Sustainability Indicators: Because Federal implementation funds are finite, it will be vital to establish a set of indicators to assess the sustainability of digital equity efforts beyond the initial implementation phase. Such indicators could include ongoing community engagement and participation, continued investment by private and philanthropic partners, enhanced organizational capacity to address digital literacy statewide, and progress toward the goals and objectives in the plan.

Reporting and Transparency Mechanisms: Anticipated reporting and transparency mechanisms include any federal reporting requirements, public authorizations for use of funds, tracking and compilation of data for the purpose of assessing progress on key metrics and overall plan successes, award and contract compliance and oversight, periodic public reports on authorizations and use of funds, and recurring community partner and stakeholder engagement to provide progress updates.

New Hampshire Wants to Hear From You

Public comments on the draft New Hampshire Digital Equity Plan can be submitted via public comment form. The deadline for public comments is February 7, 2024. More information about digital equity in New Hampshire can be found on the National Collaborative for Digital Equity website.

More in this series:

• Digital Skills and Accessibility in Mississippi
• Addressing Digital Equity Needs in Iowa
• Centering Communities in Arizona's Digital Equity Plan
• The Plan for a Connected Illinois
• Developing Digital Skills and Opportunity in Arkansas
• A New Chapter of Digital Equity Work in California
• New Mexico's Plan for an Inclusive and Prosperous Society
• Everyone Connected: Connecticut's Digital Equity Plan
• Coloradans at the Heart of State's Digital Access Plan
• Connected and Empowered: A Digital Equity Plan for Pennsylvania
• Guiding Texas' Digital Opportunity Investments
• Florida's Roadmap for Closing the Digital Divide
• Creating Digital Opportunities in Nebraska
• Developing Digital Equity Solutions in Vermont
• Working Towards Digital Equity in DC
• Oregon's Plan for Meaningful Broadband Access
• Massachusetts' Unified Vision of Digital Equity
• Alaska's Plan to Address Broadband Adversity
• Georgia's Plan for Digital Connectivity
• In a New York State of Digital Equity
• A Plan for Digital Equity in Delaware
• Equity for the Digital Age: Maryland's Plan
• North Dakota's Collective Approach to Digital Equity
• A Plan for Connecting New Jersey
• Achieving a Digitally Inclusive Ohio
• A Digital Access Plan for All Idahoans
• Envisioning a Connected, Interconnected Alabama
• Missouri Pursues Sustainable Digital Opportunity Initiatives
• A Digital Equity Plan to Connect All Kansans
• South Dakota's Plan to Leverage Digital Equity to Reach Economic Goals
• Aloha Spirit Inspires Hawai'i Digital Equity Plan
• The Plan for Closing Nevada’s Digital Divide
• Wisconsin's Digital Equity Values
• ¡Su opinión cuenta! Puerto Rico Releases Initial Draft of Digital Equity Plan | ¡Su Opinión Cuenta! Puerto Rico Pública el Borrador Inicial del Plan de Equidad Digital
• Kentucky Pursues Full and Equitable Digital Access for All
• Tennessee Drafts a Digital Opportunity Plan
• Washington State Sets Digital Equity Goals
• West Virginia's Plan to Conquer the Digital Divide
• Wyoming Seeks Feedback on Digital Access Plan
• Communities Know Communities Best: Michigan's Digital Equity Plan
• Montana's Digital Opportunity Plan
• Achieving Digital Independence in Utah
• Maine's Vision of Digital Equity
• A Look at Louisiana's Draft Digital Equity Plan

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all people in the U.S. have access to competitive, High-Performance Broadband regardless of where they live or who they are. We believe communication policy - rooted in the values of access, equity, and diversity - has the power to deliver new opportunities and strengthen communities.

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