New Hampshire Launches Statewide Efforts to Inform Five-Year Digital Equity Plan

The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension (UNHCE) was awarded $511,216 by the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) to lead the development of a five-year plan to connect residents state-wide with access to high-speed internet, digital devices, training, and a host of services and resources made possible through digital technology (e.g., telehealth, on-line educational resources, mobile banking, assistive technologies, on-line employment resources, etc.). The effort, in partnership with the National Collaborative for Digital Equity (NCDE) and the Digital Equity Research Center (DERC) at the Metropolitan New York Library Council, kicks off September 1, 2023, with the launch of a state-wide survey. In addition to the survey, the plan’s development will involve multiple ways to gather input from individuals, communities, organizations, institutions, employers, and state-wide leaders in 2024. Grant funding for the plan’s development was provided by BEA as part of its funding from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.