Can Cleveland finally close its digital divide? A local nonprofit says it has a plan.

Cleveland’s twin problems of poverty and broadband access have made it the most disconnected major city in the country. According to the National Digital Inclusion Alliance’s analysis of worst connected cities, some 30% of residents in 2019 had no internet access of any kind and 45% lacked higher-speed cable, fiber optic, or DSL hookups. DigitalC started five years ago as a scrappy underdog. Now, it is poised to become a true leader. In July, the nonprofit received $20 million from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation and David and Inez Myers Foundation. DigitalC is also competing for part or all of $20 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds that Cleveland City Council has dedicated to providing citywide broadband. Right now, though, DigitalC is at least $15 million short of the $70 million the nonprofit says it needs to expand. It also must surmount technology and infrastructure issues if it is to reach its goal of providing broadband in each of Cleveland’s 34 neighborhoods. Marketing is another problem. Today, DigitalC is only serving 1,160 households—a far cry from the 130,000 it envisions serving. Cleveland has roughly 170,000 households according to the latest Census figures. To reach that goal, the nonprofit is implementing a plan that includes reaching 40,000 households.