How COVID-19 Drove Digital Equity Work in Southern California

While the progress of digital equity varies by state, the remaining gaps have been brought to the forefront during the pandemic. In Southern California, Los Angeles officials have worked to implement programs and partnerships to increase access to digital devices and services as well as increasing digital literacy — a fundamental component to digital equity. Jeramy Gray, the county of Los Angeles’ chief deputy at the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, said the challenge is not only to provide access to an Internet-connected device but also to enable individuals to use the devices to improve their quality of life. The county has long offered technology literacy classes, free Wi-Fi, tutoring and more, he explained. The pandemic also displayed the importance of partnerships between government and organizations in the nonprofit, private and academic sectors; when local government agencies were challenged with ensuring kids could access Internet so their education experience was not interrupted, public and private partners offered their support. Gray added that while the infrastructure bill recently passed by the Senate offers a significant funding amount, more needs to be done within the space of broadband connectivity to reach digital equity.