Digital Equity Takes Center Stage in US Cities

Digital equity is having a moment. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the country to stay home in March 2020, the importance of digital equity became clear. While many folks had reliable high-speed Internet in their houses, up-to-date devices for accessing that Internet, and the skills to use it in meaningful ways, but across the country — in rural, suburban and urban communities — there was consistently a remaining percentage who did not. There was and still is a last mile for digital equity.  “We’ve never had awareness like this, and I could have never thought this was going to be my reality,” said Angela Siefer, founder and executive director of the Ohio-based National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA). “I rarely have to explain to someone that the digital divide is important, and I can now jump right into solutions and on-the-ground strategies.” The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) earmarks $2.75 billion for it, a historic sum.  With all that in mind, Government Technology spoke with more than two dozen people who work on digital equity and digital inclusion in the United States, from officials with state and local government agencies to policy experts to leaders of community-based nonprofit groups. What emerged was a new picture of last-mile digital equity, efforts to get the United States connected for good and prepare us for a productive and equitable online future.