Good for Communities, Good for Business: Why ISPs Should Care About Digital Equity

Digital equity is about ensuring everyone has the tools and skills needed to fully participate in today’s society. Too often, this work is viewed as the responsibility of nonprofits, libraries, and community groups. But internet service providers (ISPs) also have a crucial role to play—not just as a ‘nice-to-do’ but as a smart business strategy. Investing in adoption isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s a strategy for long-term business growth. Here’s why:

• Strengthening the subscriber base: By helping people access the skills, devices, and connectivity they need, ISPs can bring in new customers, increase retention, and encourage upgrades to higher-tier services.
• Reducing customer acquisition and support costs: Digital literacy programs can also reduce costs related to acquisition and technical support by enabling customers to better navigate services, set up equipment, and troubleshoot issues on their own.
• Helping develop a strong local workforce: Investing in digital equity benefits entire communities, creating stronger local economies and a more skilled workforce. For ISPs, this means a larger, more digitally skilled talent pool, ensuring a robust workforce pipeline over the long term.