Chris Ritzo

The Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) owns and operates affordable housing locations for qualifying low-income families and individuals in the Cleveland, Ohio, metro area. CMHA was the first chartered public housing authority in the United States, and it has a mission “to create safe, quality, affordable housing opportunities and improve the quality of life for the communities [we] serve.” The organization houses more than 55,000 low-income residents living in Cuyahoga County.

Mass General Brigham (MGB) is a large hospital system in the greater Boston area. MGB employs more than 1,200 clinicians, who serve more than 1.25 million patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, MGB identified disparities in patients’ access to video visits and its patient gateway. Unsurprisingly, those who were not using the patient gateway were largely members of racial and ethnic minority groups, particularly those whose primary language was not English. In response, MGB began initiatives aimed at increasing health equity and digital access.

Everyone On is a national nonprofit organization that has operated digital equity and inclusion programs since 2012.

This paper presents findings from a three-year research project funded by the US Institute of Museum and Library Services that examined how advanced broadband measurement capabilities can support the infrastructure and services needed to respond to the digital demands of public library users across the US. This research sought to address the following research question: How can public libraries utilize broadband measurement tools to develop a better understanding of the broadband speeds and quality of service that public libraries receive?

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) recently released a new public map, the Indicators of Broadband Need. This publicly available resource accompanies the National Broadband Availability Map (NBAM), pulling together public and private broadband internet access service datasets.