Maine Uses Digital Equity Capacity Funds to Ensure Communities Can Thrive
Thursday, February 20, 2025
Digital Beat
Maine Uses Digital Equity Capacity Funds to Ensure Communities Can Thrive
On December 6, 2024, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) over $5.7 million in Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program funding towards closing the digital divide in the state. Maine plans to use these funds to spearhead a number of initiatives, including:
- A comprehensive digital opportunity program, including support for Internet access, digital skills building, and Internet safety education;
- A statewide device donation and refurbishment campaign; and
- A statewide awareness campaign for a new online directory of digital resources called Tech Help for ME.
For the full timeline and slate of activities included in Maine's Digital Equity Plan, keep reading.
Implementation Timeline
MCA separates out its implementation activities by year and stages of its digital equity programming. For 2024, the digital equity plan also highlights MCA's work on the Regional & Tribal Broadband Partners Program, a two-year program designed to provide capacity for developing community-led broadband solutions and digital equity planning across every county of the State. The second year of this program, 2024, funded the first year of digital inclusion strategies outlined in the regional and Tribal plans before the State Capacity Grant funding is deployed, starting in late 2024 or early 2025.
2024: Year Two of Regional & Tribal Broadband Partners Program
Key Activities
- Apply for State Digital Equity Capacity Funds
- Launch Digital Equity Asset Inventory Online Platform
- Fund Regional & Tribal Digital Inclusion Plans - Year One
- Design & Launch Round 1 of Connectivity Hubs, strategically placed initiatives to provide public access to the internet, access to affordable devices for public use and lending programs, workforce and digital skills training, education and telehealth programming.
- Plan and continue Tribal Broadband Initiative
- Host Second Annual Digital Equity Workshop & Digital Equity “Start Summit”
- Digital Navigator Cohort Convened & Statewide Training
- Partner with Maine Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Council to support individuals' analog-digital transition
- Convene Internet Safety Partners
- Convene Networks of Opportunity for Covered Populations
- Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Framework Applied to Funding Programs
- Design Digital Equity Fund Priorities, Structure, Materials
2025: Year One of Digital Equity Implementation
Key Activities
- Establish Digital Equity Fund: Raise $3 million
- Distribute Digital Equity Capacity Funding:
- Round One: Funding for Networks of Opportunity & Core Capacity Partnerships + Competitive Funding for Regional/Tribal Partners
- Interagency Broadband Working Group: audit of state resources
- Connectivity Hubs - Round 2
- Third Annual Digital Equity Workshop
- Launch Prison & Reentry Broadband Initiative
- Launch Affordable Devices for ME
- Launch Internet Safety for ME
- Develop state-level affordability solution
- Integrate digital inclusion resources into 211 & Maine Digital Library
- Launch Affordable Housing Connectivity Program
2026: Year Two
Key Activities
- Digital Equity Fund: Raise $3 million
- Fourth Annual Digital Equity Workshop
- Activities to continue:
- Affordable Devices for ME
- Internet Safety for ME campaigns
- Affordable Housing Connectivity Program
- Advance state-level affordability solutions as needed
- Implement accessibility improvements to key state government resources
2027: Year Three
Key Activities
- Digital Equity Fund: Raise $3 million
- Interim Impact Evaluation: Digital Equity Survey & Focus Groups, Connectivity Hub Impact measurement
- Fifth Annual Digital Equity Workshop
- Activities to continue:
- Affordable Devices for ME
- Internet Safety for ME campaigns
- Affordable Housing Connectivity Program
- Advance state-level affordability solutions as needed
- Implement accessibility improvements to key state government resources
2028: Year Four
Key Activities
- Digital Equity Fund: Raise $3 million
- Sixth Annual Digital Equity Workshop
- Activities to continue:
- Affordable Devices for ME
- Internet Safety for ME campaigns
- Affordable Housing Connectivity Program
- Advance state-level affordability solutions as needed
- Implement accessibility improvements to key state government resources
2029: Final Year of Digital Equity Implementation
Key Activities
- Digital Equity Fund: Raise $3 million
- Seventh Annual Digital Equity Workshop
- Activities to continue:
- Affordable Devices for ME
- Internet Safety for ME campaigns
- Affordable Housing Connectivity Program
- Advance state-level affordability solutions as needed
- Implement accessibility improvements to key state government resources
2030: Evaluation
Key Activities:
- Impact Evaluation: Survey & Focus Groups
- Eighth Annual Digital Equity Workshop
Alignment with State Priorities
The objectives of MCA's Digital Equity Plan impact and interact with the goals of the State of Maine in several areas, including economic and workforce development, educational attainment, healthy aging, and improved access to telehealth and telemonitoring services.
Economic Development
The Maine 10-Year Economic Development Plan has three primary goals: 1) to grow the average annual wage by 10 percent to benefit workers at all income levels, 2) increase the value of what Mainers sell per worker by 10 percent, and 3) add 75,000 people to the state's talent pool by both increasing participation of those in Maine and attracting more people from other places.
The measurable goals for increasing access to broadband and improving affordability named in MCA's plan are also articulated in this economic development plan and are being tracked along with a number of other metrics across agencies. Access to affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband is considered central to Maine’s ability to grow wages, improve productivity, and engage new talent. The new measurable objectives outlined in MCA's digital equity plan will further contribute to these goals by:
- Increasing access to devices and technical support to enable Mainers to engage in the economy and workforce fully;
- Increasing the digital skills of Maine’s current and future workforce to encourage engagement and productivity; and
- Increasing accessibility of state resources that are essential to workforce and economic engagement.
Education
Maine has also adopted a statewide educational attainment goal of 60 percent of Mainers with a degree or credential of value by 2025. As of 2021, this rate stood at 52.6 percent. Just one-third of Maine high school graduates enroll and graduate from college within six years. Economically disadvantaged students—as well as students who identify as black, Hispanic, and Native American—are less likely to enroll, persist and complete a degree or credential than other students.
Improving access to affordable, reliable high-speed internet to low-income families and racial and ethnically diverse households could improve the ability of these students to engage with education online and ensure that they have the digital skills and devices they need to fully access educational opportunities and successfully complete requirements. In addition, ensuring that students of all ages and abilities can access educational programs and resources online could enable Maine people to enroll, persist, and complete degrees and credentials more easily.
Aging in Place
The State of Maine has also established a Cabinet on Aging, which has a goal to help older adults age in place. This follows Governor Janet Mill’s (D-ME) designation of Maine as an Age-Friendly State in 2019. The Cabinet has identified broadband access, digital skills and access to devices and technical support as important elements to combat social isolation for older adults and provide access to healthcare and other resources online for this population. The measurable goals outlined in MCA's Digital Equity Plan will be important to enable older adults to age in place with dignity and health, remain engaged in their communities, and access the support they need. MCA intends to partner with a broad network of organizations and volunteers that serve and support older adults in Maine (including the Cabinet on Aging) to coordinate its efforts
toward these aligned goals.
Healthcare
A Telehealth and Telemonitoring Advisory Group was also established in statute for the State of Maine in 2017 and charged with identifying technical barriers to telehealth access and making recommendations to the Department of Health and Human Services for improving telehealth and telemonitoring services statewide. Access to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet and devices, technical support, digital skills, education and tools to promote internet safety, and accessible healthcare resources online will all enable more telehealth services statewide. As outlined in MCA's Digital Equity Plan, the establishment of Connectivity Hubs to serve in part as telehealth access points will also improve access to virtual healthcare in areas or for populations that face barriers utilizing telehealth services. MCA will continue to partner with the Telehealth and Telemonitoring Advisory Group to implement the shared objectives.
Civic Engagement
The State of Maine does not have formally adopted goals for the efficient delivery of services or civic engagement that were discovered during MCA's planning and outreach process. However, access to affordable internet and the tools and skills to adopt and utilize this technology by more Maine people will facilitate greater civic, community, and social engagement. In addition, online delivery of services is often more efficient: enabling both accessible state resources and improving Mainers’ ability to access them will improve service delivery.
A Place for Everyone to Thrive
MCA created this plan with the objective of creating the core capacity to sustain digital inclusion work across the state, funding partners who can reach the places and people most impacted by the digital divide, lowering costs for everyone, creating resources and tools for many partners to use, and raising funds to accomplish Maine's goals. This, according to MCA, will all have an enormous impact on making Maine’s future a highly connected one for all residents of the state. The Maine Digital Equity Plan concludes with this message:
Working together, we will ensure there is a place in our communities and economy for everyone to thrive.
Additional Coverage on Maine's Broadband Priorities
See the latest Maine broadband news
More in this Series
- When Will Nevada Implement Its Digital Equity Plan?
- Michigan Is on the Road to Closing the Digital Divide by 2030
- California Takes Steps Towards Digital Equity
- Digital Equity Funding Boosts Innovative Connectivity in Indiana
- Connecting Georgians with Digital Equity Capacity Funds
- Digital Equity Capacity in New Mexico
- Every Connecticuter Connected With Capacity Funds
- Securing Minnesota's Future with Digital Equity Capacity Funds
- ConnectingALL with Digital Equity Capacity Grant in New York
- Linking Alabama to Broadband With a Digital Equity Capacity Grant
- West Virginia's Digital Equity Timeline
- Montana Advances Opportunity with Digital Equity
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