Community Voices: Let’s expand equitable digital access

We are seeing a shift into a digital world. Internet access is increasingly becoming a requirement to participate in education, health care and the workforce. More and more, national companies are embracing the idea of virtual reality, and on the city level, we’re seeing growth in the use of social media and digital engagement more than ever before. We even consume our news mostly online. And, while this is an exciting and fast-paced shift, we MUST make sure that we are not leaving people behind as we grow. We need to work continuously to improve equity and access to digital services for the most vulnerable across our communities. An invaluable tool to help us ensure that digital equity and access has been the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program. To date, this program has served millions of American families. However, without an additional funding allocation, the resources dedicated to this program are projected to run out in April 2024, and at present, new applications are no longer being accepted. This is a huge setback, and we have to push back. I urge you to call on your congresspeople to pass the ACP Expansion Act. 

[Ed Gainey is the mayor of the city of Pittsburgh]