Every Connecticuter Connected with Capacity Funds

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Digital Beat

Every Connecticuter Connected With Capacity Funds

Implementing Connecticut: Everyone Connected

 

Grace Tepper
Tepper

The National Telecommunications Administration (NTIA) awarded the Connecticut Department of Administrative Services (DAS) Commission for Educational Technology over $9 million in Digital Equity Capacity Grant funding towards implementing the state's Digital Equity Plan. According to NTIA, Connecticut will use its $9,183,114 in funding to implement key digital equity initiatives, including:

  • Creating an urban and rural Digital Navigator Pilot program;
  • Developing a digital equity curriculum covering basic digital literacy, online safety, digital citizenship, information literacy, and the use of AI tools; and
  • Creating a searchable database that identifies and categorizes digital equity resources.

Here is how and when DAS will implement all the initiatives in its digital equity plan.

Implementation Timeline

DAS breaks down the implementation strategy for connecting Connecticut by the plan's six main goals:

  1. Promote Development of Digital Skills and Technical Support Programs
  2. Increase Public Awareness of Digital Equity Resources
  3. Ensure Residents Have Affordable Options for Getting Online that Meet Their Needs
  4. Support Development of Accessible and Inclusive Digital Government at the State and Local Levels
  5. Support High-Speed Broadband Infrastructure Buildout
  6. Foster Ongoing Learning About Digital Equity Best Practices 

Each goal has one or more objectives with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and several implementation strategies.

Goal 1: Promote Development of Digital Skills and Technical Support Programs

1.1 Support regional and local partners to deploy digital skills and technical support programs: Q1 2025 - Q4 2029

Key activities:

  • Through regional Digital Equity Collaboratives in Connecticut, partner with the Regional Educational Services Centers (RESCs)–nonprofit, fee-for-service, public education agencies––to establish and conduct a sub-grant program that funds local efforts to advance digital literacy, digital skills, and technical support for residents, with special consideration for the needs of covered populations.
  • Offer professional development opportunities and networking for digital navigators and other professionals who receive grant funding.

1.2 Advocate for broader awareness and funding to support digital skill development and technical support in education and training programs: Q3 2024 - Q4 2029

Key Activities:

  • Identify state agencies that can deliver digital skills training or technical support as part of other programming, including institutions of higher education and workforce agencies.

  • Share information with state agencies about the needs of covered populations, and advocate for consideration of digital skills and technical support during program design.

1.3 Develop, deploy, and maintain a common framework for digital skill development: Q4 2024 - Q4 2029

Key Activities:

  • Convene a team including the Core Planning Team of advisors, Digital Equity Collaboratives, the state library, and adult education to identify or develop a common framework for digital skill development.

  • Share the framework with the public, and promote it to key stakeholders and sub-grantees as a resource.

Goal 2: Ensure Public Awareness of Digital Equity Resources

2.1 Create a trusted and searchable list of Digital Equity Resources: Q3 2024 - Q4 2029

Key Activities:

  • Based on the Asset Map referenced in DAS's Plan, create an interactive, searchable map residents can use to find connectivity, device, training, and support resources.

2.2 Leverage trusted channels to disseminate information to organizations: Q3 2024 - Q4 2029

Key Activities:

  • Develop organization-facing communications about digital equity programming including ongoing work and professional development opportunities that partner organizations — such as community-based organizations, labor organizations, workforce agencies, and other groups — may benefit from.

2.3 Leverage trusted channels to disseminate information to residents: Q3 2024 - Q4 2029

Key Activities:

  • Create communications about digital equity programs funded or otherwise supported by the state digital equity team.

  • Develop and share communications about state and federal affordability programs.

  • Develop and share communications about available resources for organizations who do digital inclusion work.

Goal 3: Ensure Residents Have Affordable Options for Getting Online That Meet Their Needs

3.1 Increase participation in existing affordability programs: Q2 2024 - Q4 2029

Key Activities:

  • Leverage trusted, local information channels through community-based organizations, workforce agencies, and others to disseminate information about the following programs to covered populations who struggle with affordability:
    • The state Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) low-cost affordability plan
    • Leverage a network of partners to promote the expansion of safe, high-speed internet access through the Community Wireless program
    • Low-cost device programs (state, regional, local)
    • Device loan programs (local)
    • DAS included the Federal Communications Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which expired in 2024
  • Incorporate information about ACP and other state affordability resources into Connecticut’s 211 system.

3.2 Develop systems to promote the distribution of affordable devices to residents: Q1 2025 - Q4 2029

Key Activities:

  • Create a pipeline for the collection, preparation, distribution, and support of decommissioned devices from state agencies, companies, and partner organizations that may include community-based organizations and workforce agencies.

  • Partner with other institutions such as higher education to create pipelines for quality refurbished devices.

  • Develop plans for sustained use and multilingual technical support that will allow residents to make effective use of devices in the long-run.

  • Coordinate with assistive technology providers and build partnerships to promote easy and affordable access to software that makes refurbished devices accessible to all residents.

Goal 4: Support Development of Accessible and Inclusive Digital Government at the State and Local Levels

4.1 Foster development of inclusive local & regional resources: Q2 2025 - Q4 2029

Key Activities:

  • Ensure that all sub-grantees meet accessibility standards with their program offerings.

  • Work with regional partners to inventory and address accessibility issues with municipal and regional websites.

4.2 Ensure accessibility & inclusivity for state digital resources: Q1 2024 - Q4 2029

Key Activities:

  • Partner with the Bureau of Information and Technology Systems (BITS) to monitor and promote accessibility efforts for state websites

  • Liaise with other State agencies that serve covered populations to advocate for increased attention to accessibility

Goal 5: Support High-Speed Broadband Infrastructure Buildout

5.1 Leverage Digital Equity networks as information conduits to maximize effective deployment of BEAD funds: Q4 2024 - Q4 2025

Key Activities:

  • Share information with community anchor institutions (CAIs) on Digital Equity mailing lists about BEAD grants, timelines, and eligibility criteria.

  • Use Digital Equity programming and sub-grants as opportunities to spread awareness to sub-grantees about the potential for supplementary infrastructure funding through the BEAD program.

Goal 6: Foster Ongoing Learning About Digital Equity Best Practices

6.1 Ensure all DE-funded activities have measurable outcomes: Q2 2024 - Q4 2026

Key Activities:

  • Develop reporting requirements for feedback loops that are realistic to implement and allow for quality data collection.

  • Make reporting requirements uniform across DE-funded activities to ensure data comparability.

6.2 Support ongoing research and analysis of digital inclusion work to identify best practices: Q1 2025 - Q4 2027

Key Activities:

  • Whenever possible, share data with research partners, including institutions of higher learning, to promote learnings about digital equity best practices

  • Conduct periodic internal reviews of data to evaluate performance and effectiveness

6.3 Communicate best practices to the wider community: Q1 2026 - Q4 2029

Key Activities:

  • Promote publications of research partners, including those at institutions of higher education, that highlight best practices in Connecticut digital inclusion efforts

  • Develop communications and frameworks that share research findings with program implementers

  • Convene communities of practice to build shared knowledge

Evaluation and Planning Timeline

DAS's timeline for its ongoing planning and evaluation efforts includes:

  • A mid-period evaluation: Q2 - Q3 2026;
  • A final evaluation Q4 2028 - Q2 2029; and
  • Drafting new 5-year Digital Equity Plan: Q2 - Q4 2029.

Keeping Everyone Connected in Connecticut

In its Digital Equity Plan, DAS states that fewer than one percent of Connecticut households cannot access internet service. However, only three-quarters of the population subscribes to broadband services. Connecticut's Digital Equity Plan reminds us that there is a deeper problem beyond the "boxes and wires" of technology: access to devices and connections is one thing, and making effective use of them to improve lives is another. With this plan, DAS is setting up the state for consistent digital equity work, evolving as need evolves, for years to come.

Additional Coverage on Connecticut Broadband Priorities

See the latest Connecticut broadband news

More in this Series

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.


© Benton Institute for Broadband & Society 2024. Redistribution of this email publication - both internally and externally - is encouraged if it includes this copyright statement.


For subscribe/unsubscribe info, please email headlinesATbentonDOTorg

Kevin Taglang

Kevin Taglang
Executive Editor, Communications-related Headlines
Benton Institute
for Broadband & Society
1041 Ridge Rd, Unit 214
Wilmette, IL 60091
847-220-4531
headlines AT benton DOT org

Share this edition:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society Benton Institute for Broadband & Society Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Broadband Delivers Opportunities and Strengthens Communities


By Grace Tepper.