Digital Skills and Broadband Adoption

Anne Schwieger, Boston’s broadband and digital equity advocate, explains: “Broadband is best understood as an ecology that allows places and people to adapt, evolve, and create.” But for too many people, the digital skills needed to use broadband effectively are too elusive. Governments—with nonprofits, private broadband providers, and community support—are working to ensure that broadband is not just deployed but used. That’s a multifaceted effort that depends on trust and resources. Cities—like Austin, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; Charlotte, North Carolina; Louisville, Kentucky; and Seattle, Washington—have created digital inclusion plans that, as in Louisville’s case, teach coding skills, basic use of a computer, and how to use online courses.