Released in October 2023, the Digital Access for All Idahoans (DAAI) Plan documents pervasive barriers to digital access and proposes a strategy to end digital access divides that prevent many Idahoans from accessing crucial technology. The DAAI plan aims to increase broadband affordability for Idahoans, as well as improve digital skills, cybersecurity awareness, access to devices, technical support, and access to public services.

Idaho’s vision is to support all residents in thriving online through:

• Digital literacy, cybersecurity, and technical support—providing curated tools and resources to Idahoans to increase digital skills and online safety.
• Public services and resources—improving accessibility for Idahoans to connect and engage with local and state services.
• Affordable broadband and devices—ensuring Idahoans have broadband and internet-enabled devices that fulfill their unique work, school, and life needs.

Idaho will encourage digital equity by working to improve access to affordable and reliable broadband infrastructure across the state by 2028 to reduce physical barriers to digital access and provide residents with human-centered tools and resources they need to better engage in the digital space. This DAAI plan is focused on the human element of fostering increased digital access among Idaho’s many communities, particularly among the covered populations identified by the Digital Equity Act (Individuals who live in households with incomes at or below 150% of the federal poverty level • Aging individuals (over age 60) • Incarcerated or recently incarcerated individuals, other than individuals incarcerated at a Federal correctional facility • Veterans • Individuals with a disability • Individuals with a language barrier, including those who are English learners and those who have low levels of literacy • Individuals who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group • Individuals who primarily reside in a rural area)

Idaho's Covered Populations and Barriers to Digital Equity

Individuals who live in households with income at or below 150% of the federal poverty level

Nearly a quarter (22.4%) of Idaho’s population comes from low-income households. Analysis of survey and focus group data identified the following digital access barriers encountered disproportionately by low-income households:

• Expense is a larger barrier to access. Among households in Idaho that do not have home internet access, the cost of internet access is cited as the top reason among low-income households. Among other households, a lack of need or desire for home internet is the top reason, suggesting internet costs are a larger barrier for lower-income Idahoans. This is further supported by survey data, where low-income households are 25 points more likely to report difficulty paying their monthly internet bills (41.0%) compared to other-income households (16.3%).
• Greater reliance on public internet access. Low-income households in Idaho are more reliant upon public internet access and devices than other income levels. Those who are economically disadvantaged reported a higher percentage of using computers to access the internet at a public location (33.9%) than those who are not (23.9%), a 10-point difference. Low-income households are far more likely to identify not having internet access at home or not having a computer at home as the reason for accessing the internet in a public location.
• Lower self-reported skill levels. When asked how confident they are that they could complete certain online tasks, individuals from low-income households are consistently less confident than their higher-income counterparts. Individuals from low-income households are substantially less confident they can search and apply for a job online (66.1%, -13 points), take an online course or training (68.3%, -13 points) or shop and pay their bills online (76.3%, -12 points). They are moderately less confident they can protect their personal information online (66.5%, -7 points), find health information online (82.1%, -6 points), and use social media (78.6%, -5 points). They are only slightly less confident they can send an email (90.6%, -2 points).

Aging individuals

Over 22 percent of Idaho’s population is age 60 or older. Barriers for this population include:

• Greater digital skill gaps. Aging individuals report substantially lower confidence levels that they can complete certain online tasks compared to younger individuals. Searching and applying for jobs online had the largest gap compared to younger individuals (49%, -34 points), followed by taking an online course or training (57%, -27 points) and using social media (66%, -21 points). Aging individuals also reported less confidence in being able to protect their information online (57%, -19 points), shopping or paying their bills online (73%, -16 points), and using email (83%, -12 points). The digital skill set where they are closest to their younger counterparts is finding health information online (82%, -6 points).
• Tendency towards home internet. Older respondents have a lower percentage of having both home internet and a cell phone (68.6%) over younger ones (80.9%). Older respondents have a higher percentage of having only home internet (20.5%) over younger ones (10.9%).
• Less likely to seek out information online. Older respondents are less likely to search for information about government services or resources via the internet (55.8%) than younger respondents (69.9%).

Incarcerated or recently incarcerated individuals

About 0.7 percent of Idaho’s population is currently incarcerated or was recently incarcerated. As incarcerated individuals complete their sentence and seek to reintegrate into society, it can be increasingly difficult to find a job upon their release without digital skills. Barriers include:

• Limitations in training device availability. Existing inmate training offerings are oriented towards traditional digital devices such as desktop or laptop computers. With a large proportion of society’s digital life now including smartphones and tablets, incarcerated individuals may find fewer job opportunities upon their release because they lack the digital skillset to operate these devices that have become necessary for numerous jobs.
• Prohibited internet access for security reasons. As part of rehabilitation efforts, many individuals use their time while incarcerated to develop skill sets that will allow them to better reintegrate into society upon their release. This is not currently possible in the case of internet-based digital skill sets as, due to security considerations, inmates do not have internet access in Idaho’s correctional facilities.
• Limitations in digital literacy training opportunities for rehabilitation. Currently, incarcerated individuals in Idaho have limited digital training opportunities due, in part, to not having enough instructors to accommodate their needs. Currently, the Idaho Department of Corrections has three computer lab instructors across 11 prisons in Idaho. This results in less opportunity for incarcerated individuals to develop the digital skills that will help them better reintegrate into society upon release, even if they desired to and the necessary devices were available.

Veterans

Nearly seven percent of Idaho’s population are veterans. Barriers encountered by veterans include:

• Veterans are demographically distinct. Veterans are more likely to be considered aging (43.0%, +26 points compared to non-veterans) and more likely to have a disability (11.9%, +7 points). This can compound the digital access barriers they face as a group. Additionally, veterans are far more likely to be retired (50.4%) than non-veterans (16.6%).
• Less likely to have both home and cell phone internet. Veterans are less likely to report having both home internet and cell phone internet access (71.9%) compared to nonveterans (79.7%), Veterans who reported not having any internet access are more likely to say they “do not want” or “do not need” the internet.
• Greater dissatisfaction with government websites. Veterans are more likely to report being dissatisfied with navigating government websites (17.9%) than non-veterans (10.9%). As more government processes and procedures move into the digital space, it is likely that veterans will interact with these spaces in the course of navigating their military benefits and other services. Additionally, with veterans having a greater proportion of individuals with a disability than non-veterans, accessibility issues are likely compounded, complicating their ability to use these services.
• Lower reported digital skills than non-veterans. Veterans consistently expressed less confidence in their ability to complete certain digital tasks compared to non-veterans. The largest differences included using social media (72.6%, -12 points compared to nonveterans) and searching and applying for jobs online (66.0%, -12 points). This was followed by protecting their personal information online (64.4%, -9 points), taking an online course or training (71.8%, -8 points), and finding health information online (82.2%, -6 points). The smallest gaps relative to non-veterans are found in shopping and paying bills online (81.5%, -5 points) and using email (88.9%, -4 points).

Individuals with a disability

Nearly 14 percent of Idaho's population are people with disabilities. Digital access for individuals with a disability can often require the aid of special devices or other assistive technology in order to ensure those individuals can access the same information or websites as other users.

• More reliant on home internet. Individuals with a disability were 10 points less likely to report having both home internet and cell phone internet (68.4%) compared to those without a disability (78.9%), and 10 points more likely to report having only home internet (22.8%) than those without a disability (12.4%). This indicates a greater reliance upon home internet services, making those with a disability more susceptible to encounter digital access issues in areas where home internet service is inconsistent or unavailable. Underscoring this relationship, more individuals with a disability reported being dissatisfied with the quality of their home internet connection (21.1%) compared to those without a disability (14.5%), suggesting it has a substantial impact on this particular covered population.
• Internet affordability. Nearly half (43.9%) of individuals with a disability report difficulty meeting their monthly internet expenses compared to one-fifth of those without a disability (19.8%). Additionally, almost half of the individuals with a disability who had heard about the Affordable Connectivity Program had enrolled in it, a much higher enrollment rate than those without a disability. This suggests internet affordability is an area more acutely felt among this covered population.
• Website and content accessibility. Individuals with a disability are more likely to encounter barriers to accessing content through traditional means or content not optimized for compatibility with their assistive technology of choice. This can compound with barriers encountered by other covered populations. For example, non-English speakers with a disability are far more likely to report encountering barriers with English-only website content (36.4%) than non-English speakers without a disability (3.9%).
• Substantial gaps in digital skill assessment. When asked to describe their level of confidence that they could complete common digital tasks, individuals with a disability expressed substantially less confidence than those without a disability. Taking an online course or training (57.9%, -22 points) and protecting their personal information online (52.6%, -20 points) had the largest gaps. This was followed by using email (75.4%, -18 points), searching for and applying for jobs online (61.1%, -16 points), finding health information online (72.0%, -15 points), and using social media (70.2%, -13 points). The narrowest gap was shopping and paying bills online (80.7%, -6 points).

Individuals with a language barrier, including individuals who are English learners and those who have low levels of literacy

Individuals with a language barrier make up 13.5 percent of Idaho’s population; 16.4 percent have low levels of literacy. Hispanic/Latino individuals make up Idaho’s largest ethnic minority group at 12.6 percent of the population. Individuals with a language barrier are likely to encounter additional barriers related to digital access, as language is fundamental to understanding and using public resources in the modern world.

• More likely to run into barriers related to English-only content. Given the predominance of English-only content in the United States, individuals with a language barrier are most likely to be impacted or unable to use services that are only offered in English. Proportionally, almost twice as many respondents from Spanish-speaking households (10.1%) identified running into barriers accessing English-only website content compared to the state as a whole (5.9%). The impact was even greater among non-English natives (16.0%).
• More reliant on public access. Individuals with language barriers are more reliant on accessing the internet or digital services from public locations—such as libraries or community centers—than their counterparts. Respondents from Spanish-speaking households report regularly accessing the internet from public locations at least once a month or more (26.3%) compared to the statewide population as a whole (16.3%). Spanish-speaking households are more likely to cite slow internet at home (11.4%) as the reason for this public access than the general population (4.6%).
• Higher confidence in digital skills. When asked to assess their confidence in their ability to complete several digital tasks, respondents from Spanish-speaking households expressed higher confidence across all digital skills compared to the state as a whole. Protecting personal information online (79.8%, +8 points relative to the state as a whole), searching and applying for jobs online (83.3%, +7 points), are using social media (89.5%, +7 points) were the skills Spanish-speaking households had the most confidence in compared to Idahoans in general. This was followed by taking an online course or training (83.3%, +5 points), shopping and paying bills online (90.1%, +4 points), using email (94.8%, +2 points), and finding health information online (87.5%, 1 point).

Individuals who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group

Racial or ethnic minority groups compose 18.4 percent of Idaho’s population. Barriers encountered by individuals who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group include:

• Likely to be members of other covered populations. Members of racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to be members of other covered populations. This intersectionality increases the likelihood of the digital access barriers they face. Members of racial or ethnic minorities are more likely to not be native English-speakers (11.7%) compared to non-members (1.5%). Similarly, members of a racial or ethnic minority are more likely to have a disability (11.0%) compared to non-members (4.8%). This increases the likelihood of members having to deal with multiple barriers to digital access.
• External trust is low among Tribal communities. Tribal communities in Idaho are among those most in need of increased digital access. It was noted repeatedly by Tribal focus group participants that members of the Tribal communities have low levels of trust towards non-members and are unlikely to utilize resources offered unless it is through or in partnership with Tribal councils. This can impact the ability to address digital access issues among these communities, underscoring the need for collaborative solutions that involve representatives from the Tribes.
• Economic disparities can be disproportionately felt by Tribal communities. Multiple Tribal focus group participants noted that many members of their communities experience substantial economic hardship, resulting in choices between having internet access or feeding their families. As a result, many members of Tribal communities go without internet access and must instead rely upon publicly available internet access, something that can adversely affect children seeking to complete school assignments or otherwise access digital resources.

Individuals who primarily reside in a rural area

Over 41 percent of Idaho’s population primarily reside within a rural area. This makes rural residents the single largest covered population in the state of Idaho. Rural communities face many unique barriers related to digital access, in part due to low population densities increasing the cost of installing the necessary infrastructure to provide broadband internet service to all households within a community. As a result, many rural communities have few internet service providers to choose from and often are restricted to satellite internet access. Barriers encountered by individuals who primarily reside in a rural area include:

• More likely to have no internet. Idahoans in non-rural areas (81.9%) tend to have both home internet and cell phone to a greater extent than those from rural areas (68.8%). Additionally, 17.9% of rural respondents report not having home internet, a higher proportion than non-rural areas (5.2%).
• Poorer perceived internet quality. Rural residents are more likely to report low satisfaction with the quality of their internet service (21.2%) compared to nonrural residents (12.7%), suggesting greater variability in the performance of digital access in these areas.
• Lower confidence in digital skill levels. Individuals who primarily reside in rural areas are likely to express less confidence in their ability to perform certain digital tasks when compared to non-rural residents. The largest gaps between rural residents and non-rural residents are found in their assessments of their ability to shop and pay their bills online (78.0%, -11 points), search and apply for jobs online (68.5%, -10 points), using email (85.8%, -9 points), and using social media (75.9%, -9 points). While still lower than their non-rural counterparts, rural residents still showed moderately less confidence when it came to protecting their personal information online (66.3%, -8 points), taking an online course or training (72.9%, -7 points), and finding health information online (82.5%, -6 points).

Digital Equity Strategy and Objectives

To accomplish the DAAI plan’s vision, specific goals and measurable objectives have been identified for Idaho to work toward over the five years of the DAAI plan. The DAAI plan establishes five goals to achieve within the next five years. Objectives were created based on themes identified in surveys, focus groups, and interviews.

Goal 1: Increase adoption and affordability of broadband technology

Objective: Increase participation in broadband affordability programs.

• Conduct advertising campaigns to promote the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and other broadband affordability programs.
• Encourage Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to promote the ACP and other broadband affordability programs to current and future customers.
• Collaborate with the Federal Communications Commission on a data-sharing agreement to enable faster verification of ACP eligibility.

Goal Metrics

• Double the number of households enrolled in the ACP or other broadband affordability programs starting with the baseline of 5.7 percent of eligible households, increasing to 9 percent in three years and 12 percent in five years.
• Double the number of households enrolled in the ACP or other broadband affordability programs for each covered population.

Objective: Increase awareness of the Affordable Connectivity Program and other broadband affordability programs

• Develop communication/marketing strategies targeted at both a general statewide audience and also at smaller, rural communities with specific resources and needs.
• Distribute marketing materials to senior centers across Idaho.
• Partner with local education agencies to advertise the ACP.
• Translate and distribute marketing materials in Spanish and other languages of need.
• Distribute marketing materials to veterans’ groups across Idaho.
• Distribute marketing materials to organizations serving individuals with disabilities.
• Distribute marketing materials to the Idaho Department of Corrections for individuals leaving incarceration.
• Include information about the ACP in digital skills programming and co-locate digital navigators in programs to help register individuals for the ACP.

Goal Metrics

• Increase the number of Idahoans having heard of the ACP or other broadband affordability programs starting with the baseline of 23.5 percent, increasing to 35 percent in three years and 50 percent in five years.
• In five years, double the number of households having heard of the ACP or other broadband affordability programs for each covered population.

Objective: Increase resources for Idahoans to make informed decisions when choosing broadband service​

• Incentivize internet providers to increase transparency of internet speeds available in a region for concurrent users.
• Add information on broadband speeds to State of Idaho resources.
• Create marketing and outreach materials on how to compare internet plans based on a household’s location and digital needs (including adding Spanish translations and other languages of need).
• Track actual broadband speeds throughout the state, thereby relying less on self-reported speeds from internet providers.
• Conduct one study comparing advertised versus actual broadband availability and speeds with an emphasis on rural areas.

Goal Metrics

• Within five years, reach 33 percent of Idahoans with marketing and outreach materials on how to compare internet plans based on a household’s location and digital needs.

Objective: Develop a framework for lowering the overall cost of consistent high-speed internet in Idaho, especially in rural areas.

• Bring together Idaho’s local leaders to share best practices in improving broadband infrastructure and lowering costs.
• Explore potential tax credits/subsidies to help offset user costs.
• Foster local government management/investment/ownership of infrastructure to offset costs to providers.

Goal Metrics

• Within five years, decrease to 15 percent the number of Idahoans that say it is difficult to pay their monthly internet bill (currently 21.9%).

Goal 2: Improve online accessibility and inclusivity of public resources and services

Objective: Ensure the State of Idaho’s digital content remains accessible to Idahoans with an emphasis on covered populations.

• Partner with state agencies to evaluate the accessibility of websites and make improvements.
• Increase the use of accessibility features on state government digital content.
• Improve the functionality of government websites and provide tutorials on how to use them.
• Emphasize improving accessibility of websites with services and resources for veterans.
• Emphasize improving accessibility of websites most commonly used by individuals leaving incarceration.
• Partner with organizations representing each covered population to determine the accessibility needs of covered populations.
• Conduct one study of state and local government websites for compatibility with accessibility features and technologies.
• Develop a toolkit of accessibility best practices for state and local government websites.

Goal Metrics

• Decrease to 5 percent the number of Idahoans reporting unsatisfactory experiences accessing government services online (starting at the baseline of 8%).
• Decrease the number of Idahoans reporting unsatisfactory experiences accessing government services for each covered population.

Objective: Ensure the State of Idaho’s digital content is compatible with use on mobile devices and tablets

• Partner with state agencies to evaluate the compatibility of state websites and online content with mobile devices and tablets.
• Increase the use of mobile-friendly features on state government websites.
• Improve the functionality of government websites and provide tutorials on how to use them.
• Emphasize device programs on enabling upgrades to tablets or laptops for Idahoans who rely on only cell phones for internet services.
• Complete a study of state and local government websites for compatibility with mobile devices and tablets.
• Develop a toolkit of mobile-friendly web design best practices for state and local government websites.

Goal Metrics

• Within five years, decrease the number of Idahoans reporting unsatisfactory experiences accessing government services from 8 percent to 5 percent.

Objective: Ensure rural communities that only have access to necessary state services through the internet have reliable access.

• Evaluate and/or confirm necessary state services to identify any instances where they are only available to a community online.
• Partner with state and local agencies on rural emergency response, such as local EMS agencies and the Idaho Department of Emergency Management.
• Evaluate systemic redundancies in place to continue service provision in the event of localized or widespread internet outages.
• Encourage/incentivize internet providers to expand broadband access to households in remote areas.
• Conduct one study to identify the number of Idahoans living in rural areas with limited access to essential state services.

Goal Metrics

• Decrease the number of reported instances where necessary services could not be accessed.

Objective: Ensure ongoing maintenance and continued development of an online digital asset directory.​

• Hire an online digital asset directory manager (or assign to existing staff in another program).
• Reach out to all organizations to confirm participation and contact information.
• Research additional digital assets to add to the inventory.
• Create advertising materials and promote the continued development of the Idaho digital asset inventory

Goal Metrics

• Increase the number of digital assets in Idaho’s digital asset inventory to 500 within five years.

Goal 3: Increase digital skills

Objective: Increase digital skill levels particularly among Idaho’s covered populations.

• Establish targeted marketing campaigns designed to help increase digital skill levels.
• Offer subgrants for in-person or accessible online course offerings for organizations serving each covered population.
• Enhance current state-sponsored on-demand digital skills training offerings, including the ICfL’s one-stop-shop for digital skills (IdahoDigitalSkills.org).
• Partner with adult education programs at Idaho’s institutions of higher education to enhance their well-developed digital skills training and human-centered support.
• Repeated measurement of Idahoans' digital skills (via statewide surveys).
• Award subgrants for in-person or accessible online digital skills training (at least one subgrantee that serves each covered population).

Goal Metrics

• Decrease the number of Idahoans who say they are not confident with basic digital skills.
• Increase the number of visits to IdahoDigitalSkills.org.

Objective: Increase the number of Idaho’s youth engaged in digital skills education.

• Create programming that compensates high school and college students for working with seniors and others on improving digital skills.
• Partner with University of Idaho Extension on programming opportunities, including the Digital Economy Program and 4-H.
• Partner with school districts and institutions of higher education to offer credit for participating in programs.
• Ensure at least one internship program serves each covered population.

Goal Metrics

• Decrease the number of Idahoans who say they are not confident with basic digital skills.

Objective: Promote the image of all Idahoans receiving training on how to use computers and the internet.

• Create a marketing campaign geared toward the general public (including campaign materials translated into Spanish and other needed languages).
• Distribute printed campaign materials about decreasing social stigma surrounding digital literacy to senior centers, meal services (such as Meals on Wheels), and school lunch box programs.
• Distribute printed campaign materials to groups representing each covered population.
• Provide education about the extent to which internet and device use affects greater broadband systems (including the degree to which it does not).
• Collaborate with adult education programs at Idaho’s institutions of higher education to promote the image of all Idahoans receiving digital skills training.
• Add a self-reported “fear of the internet” assessment to future statewide surveys.

Goal Metrics

• Within five years, reach one-third of Idaho households with marketing and outreach materials that address the social stigma surrounding digital literacy.
• Decrease scores on the self-reported fear of internet assessment.

Goal 4: Spread awareness of cybersecurity and online privacy

Objective: Increase Idahoans' cybersecurity training.

• Conduct a marketing campaign to raise awareness of cybersecurity best practices about password security and scam detection.
• Distribute printed campaign materials with basic cybersecurity tips to senior centers, meal services (such as Meals on Wheels), and school lunch box programs.
• Distribute printed campaign materials to groups representing each covered population.
• Create questions for surveys assessing both trust and risk of Idahoans in terms of cybersecurity.
• Bring together stakeholders across Idaho to address cybersecurity concerns.
• Convene an annual working group of local leaders to share best practices in improving awareness of cybersecurity and promote training for Idahoans.

Goal Metrics

• Decrease the number of Idahoans that report they are not confident they are able to protect their information online.
• Decrease the number of Idahoans in each covered population that report they are not confident they are able to protect their information online.
• Reach a significant number of Idahoans with marketing and outreach materials that increase awareness of cybersecurity.

Objective: Increase availability of cybersecurity training for Idahoans.

• Enhance current state-sponsored on-demand cybersecurity training offerings, including the ICfL’s one-stop-shop for digital skills (IdahoDigitalSkills.org).
• Leveraging the State of Idaho’s existing cybersecurity employee training program, or similar quality training and making it available to residents throughout the state.
• Provide funding for in-person or accessible online cybersecurity training offerings.
• Require cybersecurity training for those receiving new or refurbished devices through DAAI programs.
• Award subgrants for in-person cybersecurity skills training (at least one subgrantee that serves each covered population).

Goal Metrics

• Decrease the number of Idahoans that report they are not confident they are able to protect their information online.
• Decrease the number of Idahoans in each covered population that report they are not confident they are able to protect their information online.

Goal 5: Increase availability and affordability of devices and technical support

Objective: Establish a digital navigator program to address the technical support needs of covered populations.

• Hire digital navigators across the state to provide in-person or accessible technical support to Idaho’s six regions and each covered population.
• Partner with public libraries, nonprofits, or other organizations to house digital navigators and provide space for technical support and digital skills training.
• Conduct a customer service satisfaction survey and collect data on the number of customers served.

Goal Metrics

• Decrease the number of Idahoans having a device they couldn’t fix.
• Achieve digital navigators serving 7,000 customers statewide annually.
• Maintain a high-level customer satisfaction rating for digital navigators.

Objective: Establish technical support options that Idaho residents know are reliable and will be able to help.

• Hire digital navigators across the state to provide in-person or accessible technical support to at least one of the covered populations.
• Establish an online technical support repository with instructions for common devices and/or technical issues.
• Advertise and marketing campaign to educate Idahoans about technical support resources.
• Create or expand technical support centers across Idaho.
• Provide information about the digital navigator program to ISPs to share with customers.
• Measure program participation numbers, such as resource usage numbers (e.g., calls, website impressions, tickets opened, etc.).
• Award subgrants for creation or expansion of a technical support and device refurbishing center in each of Idaho’s six regions.
• Award subgrants to rural communities to establish local technical support programs.
• Conduct a customer service satisfaction survey and collect data on the number of customers served.

Goal Metrics

• Decrease the number of Idahoans having a device they couldn’t fix.
• Achieve digital navigators serving 7,000 customers statewide annually.
• Maintain a high-level customer satisfaction rating for digital navigators.

Objective: Increase affordability of devices through investment in refurbished devices.

• Build a statewide “device pipeline” by partnering with refurbishing organizations, state agencies, and Idaho colleges and universities to create a source for inexpensive refurbished Internet-enabled devices that are available for those in the covered populations at no or low-cost.
• Incentivize businesses and/or communities to establish device refurbishment opportunities.
• Equip potential technical support centers with device repair shops and/or second-hand markets.
• Explore establishment of a state tax credit for device donations to these programs.
• Targeted marketing campaigns to raise awareness of device program options.
• Host public meetings to raise awareness of program offerings.
• Award subgrants to eligible entities to provide refurbished devices to covered populations (at least one in each region and at least one per covered population).
• Award subgrants for creation of a technical support and device refurbishing center in each of Idaho’s six regions.

Goal Metrics

• Decrease the number of Idahoans reporting not having enough devices.
• Provide refurbished devices to members of covered populations.
• Reach a significant number of Idahoans with marketing and outreach materials that increase awareness of device affordability programs.

Objective: Increase Idahoans’ access to digital devices, as well as the range of devices offered, through public libraries.

• Develop libraries as anchor institutions of local communities to improve device availability and affordability.
• Increase the number of devices available for use at public libraries or that can be checked out.
• Provide funding for public libraries to purchase additional new or refurbished devices, including hotspot-enabled devices.
• Award public libraries subgrant funding to purchase new or refurbished devices.
• Conduct a marketing campaign to raise awareness of the availability of new devices at public libraries.

Goal Metrics

• Within five years, provide 600 new devices to public libraries.

The Work of the Idaho Commission for Libraries

The Digital Access for All Idahoans (DAAI) Plan was prepared by the Idaho Commission for Libraries (ICfL). Stakeholders and Idaho residents were highly engaged in collecting information about digital access barriers and promising solutions. Focus groups, surveys, and stakeholder interviews and events were used to reach out to stakeholders and members of covered populations. In addition, the DAAI Steering Committee was convened for members to share barriers faced by their constituents and provide feedback on DAAI planning activities. Ongoing coordination and outreach efforts include continued engagement with current partners and stakeholders, further developing a digital asset inventory, establishing programs and subgrant opportunities, and convening working groups to address specific digital access challenges. Ongoing research efforts include tracking progress, refining statewide metrics, and submitting annual reports to the public, stakeholders, and funders.

For more information, visit Idaho Broadband. 

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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