You’re reading the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society’s Weekly Digest, a recap of the biggest (or most overlooked) broadband stories of the week. The digest is delivered via e-mail each Friday.

Round-Up for the Week of February 5-9, 2024

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 Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development's (DHCD) Office of Broadband released its draft Digital Opportunity Plan to the public. The plan is a first-of-its-kind undertaking to assess all facets of the digital divide in the Commonwealth and develop a strategy to close it. Ensuring broadband affordability and full broadband adoption will mean Virginia residents have affordable, reliable, and high-speed internet access, and the skills necessary to use it to its full potential. By acting on this plan, the Office of Broadband believes Virginia will be positioned to be one of the first states to achieve its goal of universal broadband and also achieve full Digital Opportunity. 

Virginia's Vision of Digital Equity

The vision to achieve universal broadband under the Digital Opportunity Program is to ensure that every Virginian has access to affordable, reliable, and high-speed internet service, as well as the opportunities necessary to fully participate in the economy and society. To achieve this goal, the Commonwealth will explore utilizing its forthcoming federal resources through the State Capacity Grant Program and any remaining Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) non-deployment programs to address identified needs in broadband affordability and adoption.

To meaningfully advance both broadband affordability and adoption, all facets of state government must be considered. New programs, collaborations amongst state agencies, and innovative solutions will all be necessary to close identified gaps in digital opportunity. Given the nature of the digital divide, these solutions and practices will look different under affordability and adoption.

Affordability: State-level efforts to advance broadband affordability have been channeled to planning documents and participation in federal outreach grants to promote the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Locally, more efforts are ongoing. As identified through stakeholder engagement through the development of this plan, a handful of local governments across the Commonwealth are establishing broadband affordability subsidy programs in addition to the $30/month ACP benefit to ensure affordability for all. Other local organizations are advancing affordability through promoting enrollment in ACP. As an avenue to address affordability, these local efforts may be considered on a statewide scale.

Adoption: State-level efforts to advance broadband adoption have been focused on incentivizing broadband adoption programs and partnerships as an activity of broadband deployment grants. Fortunately, the structure of state government, enabled by Digital Equity Act (DEA) Capacity Grant Funding, along with remaining BEAD non-deployment dollars and cross-agency collaborations lends itself to advance broadband adoption across multiple need areas. For example, a collaboration between the Office of Broadband and a statewide agricultural outreach agency could enhance adoption of smart farming principles and best management practices utilizing connected technologies. Partnerships such as this will be critical to successfully addressing broadband adoption.

While the funding provided by both the DEA through its capacity grant program, as well as the non-deployment funding under the BEAD program is finite, the Office of Broadband is seeking to design programs that are sustainable in the long term. In addition, the effectiveness of these to-be-established digital opportunity programs will provide a foundation for exploring future investment.

By closing the digital divide, Virginians are empowered to connect, learn, work, and thrive in the digital age, regardless of where they live or their socio-economic status. Together, ensuring broadband affordability and full broadband adoption will make Virginia a Commonwealth of digital opportunity – one whose residents have affordable, reliable, and high-speed internet access, and the skills necessary to use it to its full potential.

Covered Populations and Barriers to Digital Equity

Within Virginia, covered populations comprise over 81 percent of the Commonwealth’s total population. With such a sizable portion of the Virginians falling into one or more covered populations, understanding where needs intersect and where they are unique is crucial to developing an effective Digital Opportunity Plan with actionable strategies.

The percentages of each covered population out of Virginia's total population are as follows:

• Individuals who live in low-income households: 16.5 percent
• Aging individuals: 22.3 percent
• Incarcerated individuals: 0.7 percent
• Veterans: 7.7 percent
• Individuals with disabilities: 12.5 percent
• Individuals with a language barrier: 17.8 percent
• Individuals who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group: 38.9 percent
• Individuals who primarily reside in a rural area: 32.8 percent

Individuals who live in low-income households

The average Virginian household is home to 2.57 individuals. Data from the US Census Bureau's 2021 American Community Survey (ACS) data from the same year indicates that at least 483,000 households made less than $25,000 per year, thereby qualifying as low-income households. Low-income households are eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) as it uses a limit of 200 percent above the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) to determine income eligibility. However, ACP enrollment data showcases a stark gap between those who are eligible and those enrolled.

Barriers for low-income households include:

• Lack of Broadband Infrastructure in Pubic/Low-Income Housing: Stakeholders indicated that many housing facilities for low-income households often lack any wired internet connection, creating a barrier for these institutions to providing digital services, technology, and opportunity.
• Geography: While they exist throughout the Commonwealth, low-income households are generally concentrated in remote or rural regions already known to experience lower levels of broadband availability and affordability.
• Underserved Populations: Stakeholders highlighted that, while some low-income families might have a basic broadband connection, they may lack high-speed internet that supports advanced digital tasks, like data analysis.
• Credit Barriers to Broadband Service: Survey findings indicated that low-income households in the Commonwealth are eight times more likely to report credit challenges as a barrier to acquiring a broadband connection.
• Reliance on Mobile Devices: Stakeholders reported that, for many covered households, handheld devices (i.e., smartphones) are most often the only form of connection low-income households have to the internet. Handheld devices present a limitation to the full array of digital resources/technologies.
• Increased Outreach: Participants in community focus groups expressed the need for further outreach and awareness campaigns to inform people about digital opportunity resources and affordability programming.
• Lower Confidence in Using Digital Resources: Survey results indicate that covered households were not comfortable navigating the internet. In particular, covered households were 20 percent less likely to report feeling confident in navigating and completing a telehealth appointment when compared to other respondents.
• Limited Range of Device Use: Research indicates that as covered households are more likely to rely on mobile devices to access the internet, they lack the necessary digital skills and means to access resources which may require additional processing power or a larger screen.
• Affordability of Cybersecurity Software: For covered households where fixed monthly expenses are financially burdensome, stakeholders shared that the subscription fees to basic digital security software limit their use, putting families’ digital safety at risk.

Aging individuals

The Commonwealth of Virginia is home to 1.9 million “aging individuals” (60 years of age or older) – roughly 22 percent of the total population. Of these, nearly 620,000 lack broadband access. Population growth projections indicate that there will be over 2.2 million aging Virginians by 2030. To address these anticipated demographic shifts, systems and resources that are used by the aging community today will require more than a digital overhaul – they will require significant scaling to address needs and barriers as demand for services by this covered population increase.

Barriers for aging individuals include:

• Location: Stakeholder engagement identified that older Virginians largely live in remote rural or coastal / rural regions where wired (e.g., fiber, cable) or reliable fixed wireless broadband does not exist.
• Aging Facilities: Stakeholders indicated that older buildings – such as retirement facilities and group communities – built before widespread use of internet often lack any wired internet connection, creating a barrier for these institutions to providing digital services, technology, and opportunity.
• Outdated Broadband Infrastructure: Commonwealth stakeholders described the challenge with outdated broadband infrastructure within agency offices and headquarters as limiting the ability to services to be deployed (e.g., telehealth, social benefits, etc.) to aging populations.
• Metro/Non-Metro Divide: Only 7 percent of seniors in non-rural areas experience poverty compared to 11 percent of those who live in rural regions, impacting their ability to afford high-speed internet or purchase reliable connected devices.
• Inability to Access Programs: Approximately 40 percent of older US adults are not able to access needed online services from their homes because they lacked home internet.
• Lack of Targeted Programs: Stakeholder conversations indicated a lack of programs specifically aimed at helping aging Virginians access and navigate digital resources and technologies (e.g., in-person MyChart tutorials for healthcare offered through a local library)
• Child-Rearing Support: Nearly 45 percent of rural grandparents and over 35 percent of urban grandparents in the Commonwealth are raising children alone – for those with limited or no access to broadband or digital technologies, their grandchildren will start their lives with a significant digital divide.
• Physical Limitations: Compared to peers, aging individuals with physical limitations are significantly less likely to go online (49 percent vs. 66 percent), to have broadband at home (38 percent vs. 53 percent), and to own most major digital devices.
• Cost: Stakeholders indicated that, for aging individuals living on a fixed income, price sensitivity to the cost of technology, security software, and digital subscriptions were barriers to adopting internet and digital tools.
• Awareness: Conversations with stakeholders and communities identified a limited understanding of the internet and its potential benefits were reasons why aging individuals felt no need to adopt technologies.
• Skepticism and Hesitancy: Stakeholder engagement underscored that for many, a lack of awareness around the benefits or relevance of digital opportunity and resources fed into a hesitancy to adopt, even where affordable, reliable broadband was easily accessible.
• Organizational Capacity: Organizational stakeholders identified a lack of funding and staffing capacity necessary to develop and run digital skill-building programs for aging populations.
• Cybercrime Vulnerability: The FBI 2021 Elder Fraud Report found that ~3,000 aging individuals across the Commonwealth suffered over $60 million in cybercrime financial losses, ranking 7th in the United States.
• Social Isolation: In a recent report, the Virginia Department of Aging Services identified the need to invest in technological solutions (i.e., digital infrastructure expansion and programming) to improve health outcomes, address mobility limits, enhance emergency preparedness, and raise the social connectedness for aging Virginians overall.

Incarcerated individuals

The Commonwealth of Virginia’s correctional facilities house over 60,000 incarcerated individuals, or just under 1 percent of the Commonwealth’s total population. Incarcerated individuals are unique in that there are two layers to how they experience the digital divide: 1) the intentional divide created in a secured environment; and 2) the digital divide experienced during reentry following their time served while trying to successfully reintegrate into a society that has technologically progressed during their incarceration. Properly exploring the needs and barriers for this covered population means addressing both dimensions while also understanding the role time plays for incarcerated individuals.

Barriers for incarcerated individuals include:

• Limited Internet Connection: Where access to electronic devices is allowed, internet access is often limited or entirely unavailable, state correctional agencies reported.
• Cost of Technology Use: When digital devices or tools (e.g., e-messaging) are available to inmates, stakeholders identified that there is often a cost associated with their use.
• Location: Service organization stakeholders identified that many of formerly incarcerated individuals they serve live in rural areas, compounding digital challenges in accessing resources and benefits to aid their transition.
• Compounding Digital Divide: Incarcerated individuals from low-income communities are typically more likely to experience the digital divide as a member of a covered household before serving time in a correctional facility, a disadvantage which is further exacerbated by their time cut off from technology and digital resources while serving their sentence.
• Lack of Devices/Technologies in Correctional Facilities: Discussions with stakeholders indicated that inmates generally are not able to use tablets or other technologies, thus limiting their ability to develop digital skills.
• Fast Access to Services: Carceral stakeholders identified the first 24 hours immediately post-release as the most urgent for securing housing and employment opportunities.
• Online/Digitally Enhanced Resources: Stakeholders identified that accessing critical post-carceral transition resources (e.g., health services, employment resources, education tools, healthcare) is difficult for those without requisite internet connections to support this.
• Facility access determines adoption: Incarcerated individuals being held in correctional facilities that lack access to broadband or digital tools have no means of adopting the internet or using connected devices.
• Existing views on education resources: Stakeholders identified that if an incarcerated individual was not already inclined to view educational resources in a positive light, they were unlikely to see inherent value in pursuing a specific topic such as digital literacy and skill building.
• Tailored Educational Programming: Stakeholders highlighted the fact that skill-building programs will need to address the fact that Virginians are entering the state correctional system with increasingly diverse levels of digital literacy and technological fluency, creating a broad spectrum of varying skill-building needs.
• Confidence in Using Digital Resources: Survey findings indicate that incarcerated individuals were less likely to feel comfortable completing most tasks online when compared to non-incarcerated individuals. Notably, incarcerated respondents were ~20 percent less likely to feel comfortable using telehealth resources compared to non-incarcerated respondents.
• Barriers Created for Risk Mitigation: Discussions with stakeholders identified a more nuanced consideration for incarcerated populations – the cybersecurity risk they themselves pose should they have unfettered access to internet and devices to commit crimes, contact victims, etc.
• Policy and Security Concerns: Correctional facilities must restrict technology access for security reasons, as devices and internet access could potentially be used for illicit activities or to breach security protocols. Balancing these security concerns with the potential benefits of digital access is a complex challenge identified by correctional stakeholders.

Veterans

The Commonwealth is home to over 660,000 veterans and has the second-highest concentration of veterans out of any state according to 2021 ACS 5-year data. Virginia also has the third-highest number of active-duty servicemembers out of any state. With such a significant number of the nation’s veterans concentrated in the Commonwealth, addressing the needs and barriers of this covered population is of the utmost importance for Virginia.

Barriers for veterans include:

• Broadband Deployment for Rural Veterans: Stakeholder discussions highlighted that many veterans reside in rural communities following their service. This leads to many compounding challenges surrounding broadband deployment and availability, similar to rural covered populations. Survey findings support this – 57 percent of veteran respondents identified that a lack of availability of internet in their area as a barrier to adoption and use.
• Limited Access to Online Resource: Virginia’s Department of Veterans Services has launched an online Gold Standard Resource hub for veterans that requires a robust internet connection to access its benefits.
• Digital Risk Mitigation: Veterans who have had negative experiences with the internet or digital resources, from being affected by cybercrime to frustrations with online benefit portals, may elect to limit their exposure to the internet and digital resources.
• Lower Use of Federal Subsidies: Surveys indicate that veterans were less likely (~5 percent) than other covered populations to be aware of federal subsidy programs such as the ACP and were also half as likely to have applied to such programs when compared to non-veterans.
• Combatting Social Isolation and Loneliness: Stakeholder conversations revealed that many veterans lack the necessary digital skills to engage in video chats and messaging with family and loved ones.
• Increased Misinformation Targeting: Veterans are intentionally targeted by malicious state and non-state actors for misinformation given their military experience and the elevated role veteran’s voices play in the U.S.
• Heightened Vulnerability to Cybercrime: Veterans that are cybercrime victims experience 44 percent more in losses compared to non-veterans. According to survey results, 4 percent of veterans indicated that concerns around online privacy and security as barriers to internet adoption and use.
• Telehealth Access: As generations of veterans age, demand for telehealth access increases, especially in partnership with healthcare systems like the Veterans Administration, stakeholders shared.

Individuals with disabilities

There are over 2.1 million disabled individuals residing in Virginia today – just over 12 percent of the Commonwealth’s total population. With such a significant proportion of Virginia’s total population falling under this covered category, adequately addressing their diverse needs will require both broader digital opportunity programs that are inclusive of disability needs, and targeted supports that directly address this covered population.

Barriers faced by individuals with disabilities include:

• Affordability of Broadband: Stakeholder conversations reinforced the finding from a Department of Labor study that indicated affordability as the primary barrier to home internet use for individuals with disabilities.
• Cost of Assistive Devices: Stakeholder engagement highlighted that the price of assistive devices required for digital engagement can be cost-prohibitive, with many devices priced at more than $1,000.
• Availability of Assistive Devices: Some of these assistive devices also are custom-made or otherwise have limited stock, thus restricting their accessibility to customers, as noted by stakeholders.
• Lower Home Internet Subscriptions: Between 2015 and 2019, 91 percent of people without disabilities lived in a household with any kind of internet subscription, whereas only 78 percent of people with disabilities did.
• Demographically Linked Limits: Fewer than 7 in 10 disabled Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, or Latino youth had high-speed internet and a computer at home, while more than 8 in 10 white youth without disabilities and Asian youth with and without disabilities did.
• Digital Skill Accommodations: Stakeholders shared that many individuals with disabilities need to learn not only the standard digital skills, but also the accommodating behaviors or steps, such as launching and navigating assistive software, to enable their digital participation.
• Inaccessible Cyber Practices: Studies show that many cybersecurity behaviors, such as setting up and engaging in multi-factor authentication and backing up data, can be inaccessible to individuals who have disabilities.
• Accessibility of Online Resources: Some stakeholders highlighted their concerns with the present state of online resource sharing for individuals with disabilities, citing accessibility challenges.
• Reliability of Broadband Connection: Due to the remote nature of rural populations and their broadband infrastructure, the maintenance of reliable, high-quality broadband speeds is a challenge. Even for those who have an internet connection, over one third of survey respondents who live with disabilities regularly experience disruptions in their internet service and over a quarter of them report that their subscribed speeds are not being achieved.

Individuals with a language barrier

Today, over 1.5 million Virginia residents have some form of language barrier. In addressing their digital opportunity needs, “language barriers” are not limited just a lack of English language comprehension. The NTIA defines an individual with a language barrier as anyone who “is an English Learner and/or who has low levels of literacy”. This broader definition is important as it is inclusive of individuals who may be fluent English speakers but have limited reading comprehension or – more simply – have not had a need for regular reading and writing as part of their day-to-day life.

Barriers faced by individuals with a language barrier include:

• Language and Literacy Limitations: While this group experiences the same general barriers as all covered populations around availability and affordability, stakeholders report that their limited language skills mean a general lack of awareness around programs and resources that can help address availability and access needs for this covered population. Survey results support this input, as respondents with a language barrier were 14 percent less likely to have applied for federal internet subsidy programs compared to others without a language barrier.
• Cost of Translation Services and Software: Stakeholders shared in their conversations that, while some translation features are provided at no cost to the user, other more advanced services incur costs that could be prohibitive to their use.
• Limited Online Translation Features: Stakeholders shared that all online features, including Google searches, have a limit to the number of languages that the software understands and how many languages are supported.
• Advertising in Native Languages: As many digital opportunity programs are only promoted in English and a handful of other common languages, the low-literacy individuals who do not fluently speak the language may not learn about the program’s existence, some stakeholders shared.
• Advertising on Popular Platforms: Stakeholders also reported that common advertising and news distribution platforms, including print and mainstream television stations only broadcast in English, may not reach the target language-learning population.
• Online Language-Learning Skills: Stakeholders shared that while many language-learners possess basic internet and digital device skills, they require additional skill-building to leverage online language-learning tools.
• Online Healthcare: Studies demonstrate that those with language barriers have trouble accessing online healthcare materials and portals.
• Connectivity Risks for English Learners: Research indicates that refugee populations are at heightened risk of cyber vulnerability due to a lack of awareness of cybersecurity measures, or are using the internet to stay in touch with family and friends who may be in regions with limited data privacy and protection; these same vulnerabilities can be understood as true for English-learning refugee populations in Virginia, as well as further extrapolated to the broader English learning community as well who already experience heightened vulnerability to scams posing as resources.
• Accessibility of Online Platforms in Multiple Languages: While some websites have online, automatic translation features enabled, stakeholders representing this group identified that many have hard-coded features that do not easily translate, such as on-screen buttons, which can limit low-literacy individuals’ navigation of sites and resources.

Individuals who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group

According to 2019 ACS data, about 40 percent of Virginia’s total population fall under one or more racial/ethnic minority groups. Of these, ACS data indicates that just over 45 percent of all households that lack a broadband subscription in the Commonwealth are comprised of members of a racial or ethnic minority group.

Barriers faced by individuals who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group include:

• Digital Redlining: Stakeholders noted that many individuals who are members of racial or ethnic minorities reside in areas that have been historically underserved by broadband providers, resulting in delayed deployment, and limited digital opportunities.
• Cost of Broadband: Over 36 percent of survey respondents who identified as either a racial or ethnic minority indicated that the cost of internet plans was the main barrier to adoption and use.
• Reliance on Mobile-Only Internet: Stakeholder conversations acknowledged that many minority individuals primarily access the internet through their mobile device, thus limiting the types of digital tasks they can participate in. Survey data validates this finding as 46 percent of respondents who identify racial or ethnic minorities reported relying on cellular data as the primary means of accessing the internet at home.
• Skepticism of the Internet: Survey findings indicate that individuals who identify as members of racial or ethnic minorities are ~3 percent less comfortable using the internet (e.g., paying bills online, communicating with others, reading the news) when compared to peers. Conversations with stakeholders representing Hispanic and Latino populations suggested that this may be partially due to skepticism around using the internet stemming from either a fear of government or unfamiliarity with technology.
• Variable Rates of Adoption: Discussions with stakeholders revealed that internet adoption rates vary significantly between different minority groups, signaling a need for targeted messaging and initiatives to encourage digital connection.
• Multigenerational Approach: Stakeholder conversations discussed the need for multigenerational digital skill-building to occur in tandem with several other supportive, wraparound services to best reach this group.
• Heightened Targeting by Disinformation Campaigns: Research indicates that racial and ethnic minorities increasingly find themselves the subject of misinformation campaigns designed to incite negative feelings towards members of a minority group, or to breed broader divisiveness by creating mistrust by minority groups of larger societal institutions.
• The Persisting Effects of Racism: This is a covered population that experiences disadvantages through racism, both on the subject of digital opportunity and broader socioeconomic opportunity. The disenfranchising effects of racism play both a direct and indirect role in inhibiting this group’s ability to overcome the digital divide.

Individuals who primarily reside in a rural area

Rural individuals experience the digital divide in a much more physical manner than most. While many other covered populations experience challenges accessing the digital landscape that could be remedied through increased awareness or the development of digital skillsets, many rural individuals still require the preliminary, foundational step towards digital opportunity: broadband deployment. Historic and present-day limitations to broadband access underpin all other barriers faced by rural individuals.

These barriers include:

• Cost of Broadband Deployment: Conversations with stakeholders underscored the prohibitive cost of broadband deployment for internet service providers in last-mile projects and other rural connection efforts.
• Geographic Limitations of Broadband Deployment: Most stakeholders that raised broadband deployment concerns highlighted that topography, including mountain ranges and water systems, affect broadband deployment and can limit connectivity to Virginia’s most remote regions. Survey results showed 64 percent of rural respondents reported that home internet access was not available in their area, compared to 25 percent of their non-rural peers. Even when connected, these rural populations are nearly twice as likely to report that their subscribed speed as not achievable.
• Telehealth Access: Conversations with stakeholders stressed the importance of expanding telehealth access and skills to best reach rural individuals and combat their physical proximity to healthcare providers.
• Perceived Relevance of Broadband: Stakeholders discussed the fact that adoption rates lag in many rural communities because there has not been sufficient education surrounding the applicability of internet to many facets of rural living, including employment-seeking, education, and healthcare. Many rural individuals simply believe they don’t need the internet.
• Smart Farming Technologies: In conversations, stakeholders shared the power of many advanced agricultural technologies and noted that appropriate education on these devices could fundamentally transform rural economies.
• Basic Digital Training: Since broadband access has been limited for many rural residents, preliminary digital skill-building will require beginning with the most basic, rudimentary lessons, stakeholders reported.
• Risk of Data Breach: Energy and internet providers report that rural communities tend to not have the same level of security measures in place as their urban counterparts, making it easier for cybercriminals to access sensitive information.
• Lack of Emergency Notification Infrastructure: One stakeholder highlighted their concern that a lack of broadband infrastructure affects rural communities’ abilities to extend emergency notifications to service crews and the general public.

Implementation Strategy and Objectives

The Office of Broadband proposes an implementation strategy structured around four categories of targeted initiatives which, in concert, will close the digital divide in the Commonwealth and make Virginia a Commonwealth of Digital Opportunity—where residents have access to affordable, reliable high-speed internet, device access and the digital skills necessary to use the internet to pursue their passion.

Goal 1: ACCESS and AFFORDABILITY: Virginians will have access to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet.

Recommendation: Large Scale Initiatives

Core Activity: Support large-scale digital transition in Virginia.

Solution: Utilize remaining BEAD funds following full allocation of funds necessary to reach universal connectivity to support non-deployment programs that address structural digital gaps in the Commonwealth.

Strategies & Corresponding Measurable Objectives: Support Virginia’s transition to a fully connected Commonwealth with a modern, digitized economy, and a digitally literate workforce.

• Complete broadband deployment as indicated as part of the Commonwealth’s BEAD 5-Year Action Plan. Initial estimates for a baseline of unserved and underserved locations, based on December 30, 2022, coverage data from the Federal Communication Commission’s Broadband Availability Map, identify 162,107 locations without qualifying broadband access and outside a funded project area. Awards for these funds are targeted to be made in Fall 2024, contingent on the final proposed timeline from NTIA, with projects reaching substantial completion within 4 years of contract execution. All covered populations, especially individuals living in rural areas, will be impacted by this objective, except for incarcerated individuals.
• Increase enrollment of eligible households in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) by more than 5 percent within 12 months after beginning promotional efforts, through existing and future efforts, contingent on continued funding for the program. Baseline data indicates that currently 1,088,427 households in Virginia are eligible for ACP, approximately 43 percent (446,900) Virginians are enrolled in ACP according to Federal Communications Commission enrollment data. All covered populations will be impacted by this objective, except for incarcerated individuals.
• Design and support sustainable digital opportunity program(s) utilizing DEA State Capacity grant funding and remaining BEAD funding for initiatives related to digital literacy, telehealth, activities related to the incorporation of “smart” technologies and capabilities into farming practices, cybersecurity training and education, and other activities, related to broadband adoption. The Commonwealth will assess utilization of these digital practices and resources to establish baselines and progress measures for each new non-deployment program.

Recommendation: Capacity Building Programs

Core Activity: Administer a Digital Opportunity Capacity Subgrant Program.

Solution: The Office of Broadband proposes utilizing funds from Virginia’s DEA Capacity Grant allocation to administer a Digital Opportunity Capacity Subgrant Program that will continue the work started during Virginia’s subgrant programs under the Planning Grant. This program can support organizations of all types, including libraries, community-based organizations, non-profits, local governments, and other organizations doing diverse work across the digital opportunity spectrum and across all covered populations, putting community-based organizations in a position to address the digital divide in their backyard.

Strategies & Corresponding Measurable Objectives: Strengthen organizational capacity to enhance community efforts to address the barriers and needs of digital opportunity:

• Increase the number of Virginians impacted by DEA-funded digital opportunity programming year-over-year through the life of the capacity grant program.
• Identify organizations engaged in digital opportunity work to support.
• Bring new organizations not traditionally involved in digital opportunity work into the field by building capacity with planning and implementation support.

Recommendation: Specific Needs-Based Initiatives

Core Activity: Assist communities to develop and expand large-scale efforts for the utilization of broadband among incarcerated individuals and individuals with disabilities.

Solution: Partner with state or local government agencies, as well as community organizations to develop and implement identified solutions and targeted programs for incarcerated individuals and individuals with disabilities.

Strategies & Corresponding Measurable Objectives: Support the development of digital opportunity programming for all covered populations as well as support targeted efforts for incarcerated individuals and individuals with disabilities.

• Increase the percentage of covered populations who have access to a computing device that can connect to the internet by 5 percent and 10 percent using laptop or tablet, respectively, within 24 months after contract execution. Baseline data of incarcerated individuals and individuals with disabilities who have access to an internet-connected computing device will be established in partnership with Virginia Department of Corrections and Virginia Board for People with Disabilities within 12 months of contract execution. Baselines will be used to help guide future development and planning of specific needs-based initiatives for these covered populations. Collaborate with organizations working regionally and serving incarcerated individuals and individuals with disabilities to understand what specific program designs are needed to address the digital needs of these covered populations at a local level.

Goal 2: DIGITAL SKILLS and LITERACY: Virginians will have access to digital learning resources and sustainable devices

Recommendation: Systemic Solutions

Core Activity: Create a centralized digital opportunity resource tool.

Solution: The Office of Broadband proposes creating a centralized Commonwealth of Virginia Digital Resources Tool, “digitalvirginia.com”. Using the information in the Office of Broadband’s asset inventory as a baseline, Virginia can create a tool that allows end users to search for digital resources that meet their need, whether that is an affordable service plan, a device refurbishment program, local libraries, or online tools that offer digital literacy classes, or a local clinic that offers telehealth services. Developing a centralized repository for Virginia’s digital assets will meet a critical need for all covered and non-covered populations and will drive adoption of available services. Additionally, focus on promoting existing, and supporting new device refurbishment programs, including investing in planning specific training and support provided to entities that providing devices to Covered Populations, as deployment of computers to Covered Populations as it is a complex, multi-step, multifaceted process.

Strategies & Corresponding Measurable Objectives: Develop a state-wide digital resource hub to provide communities with a central location for existing available resources and programs.

• Reduce the broadband adoption gap by more than 5 percent between covered and non-covered populations by supporting literacy training available to all Virginians,
  including efforts targeting all covered populations within 24 months after beginning efforts to address these needs. All covered populations will be impacted by this objective and population-specific data will be collected to measure the reduction of this gap for specific populations.
  • Baseline data from our statewide survey indicates there is between a 10 to 14 percent gap between noncovered and covered populations of being comfortable using devices to do most tasks, but less so for virtual doctor’s appointments.
  • Literary for Life Case study finding indicated that 75 percent of participants self-reported confidence in their digital literacy skills using email, their NorthStar Assessment results indicated less than 10 percent of them had a passing score on the email unit.
• Design and implement awareness campaigns to inform communities about existing broadband services and resources; and Leverage partnerships to utilize various communication channels, including print, digital, and social media platforms to reach a wide audience across the Commonwealth.
• Increase the number of community-based organizations offering digital navigator and technical assistance programs. The Commonwealth of Virginia will assess the identified community-based organizations, including community anchor institutions (CAIs) to establish a baseline of digital navigator programs across the state. All covered populations will be impacted by this objective. The timeline of this effort will be 24 months after establishing the baseline for the number of such organizations.
• Increase investment in sustainable, community-level device refurbishing and distribution programs providing , quality devices, including those with large screen and accessories available for ownership, including the development of the ecosystem and supporting capacity building for organizations conducting these activities.
• Increase individual comfort and understanding of online privacy and cybersecurity. The Commonwealth will assess individual comfortability and understanding with online privacy and cybersecurity to establish a baseline of this metric. All covered populations will be impacted by this objective. The timeline of this effort will be 24 months after establishing the baseline for comfortability and understanding of online privacy and cybersecurity.

Goal 3: ADOPTION: Virginians will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to fully utilize broadband services, whether it be at their home or business.

Strategies & Measurable Objectives of Broadband Adoption: Increase the applications of internet-enable technologies/devices in precision farming, telehealth, distance learning and online small business development. The Commonwealth will assess the utilization of the internet-enabled technologies/devices to establish a baseline. All covered populations will be impacted by this objective. The timeline of this effort will be 24 months after establishing the baseline for utilization of existing technology.

Note on Strategies & Measurable Objectives of Broadband Adoption: Broadband adoption is reflected across each of the prior goals, as well as in their respective measurable objectives and strategies. Because of this integral nature of broadband adoption across these other goals, no additional measurable objectives and strategies are identified specifically under this category.

Digital Opportunity in Virginia

The public comment process for the DHCD Office of Broadband's draft Digital Opportunity Plan is now closed. For more information on Virginia's efforts to close its digital divide, visit the DHCD website.

Quick Bits

• Biden’s vow of affordable internet for all is threatened by the looming expiration of subsidies
• Biden-⁠Harris Administration Calls on Congress to Extend Affordable Connectivity Program Funding
• The FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program Could End. Here’s Why That Might Not Be Bad for Schools
• Lawmakers Lead Colleagues in Letter of Support for FCC E-Rate Rulemaking
• Reps Clyde and Carter Challenge FCC’s “Digital Discrimination” Rule

Weekend Reads (resist tl;dr)

• Mapping State BEAD Challenge Processes
• State and Territory Challenge Process Tracker
• Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program Forms
• Open Vault Broadband Insights Report

ICYMI from Benton

• Who is About to Lose their ACP Discount?
• Department of Education's Plan to Close the Three EdTech Divides
• A Wholistic Digital Equity Plan for Rhode Island
• A Plan to Transform Indiana's Digital Equity Landscape
• Equitable Participation in Today's Digital World: New Hampshire's Plan

Upcoming Events

Feb 12—State of the Net 2024 (Internet Education Foundation)

Feb 12—The Race for Space: Property Rights in Satellite Spectrum (Technology Policy Institute)

Feb 13-15––Net Inclusion 2024 (NDIA)

Feb 14––FWA – Sweet Spot for BEAD Deployments (Fierce)

Feb 14––The Future of AI in Cybersecurity (Belfer Center)

Feb 15––February 2024 Open Federal Communications Commission Meeting (FCC)

Feb 21––How Libraries Can Upgrade Their Internet Through the BEAD Program (SHLB Coalition)

Feb 29––Mapping the Future of Digital Privacy (Semafor)

Mar 5-7––ACA Connects Summit 2024 (ACA Connects)

Mar 14––March 2024 Open Federal Communications Commission Meeting (FCC)

Mar 25––The Right Connection (CENIC)

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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