Why Leading with Digital Equity Matters

Maine is the first state in the country to have its Digital Equity Plan approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). This is a major accomplishment in that this represents the first statewide Digital Equity Plan to ever be developed for our state (and the first tied to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—also known as Bipartisan Infrastructure Law). And, it is fitting that our Digital Equity Plan can now be put into motion ahead of any infrastructure deployed through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. Digital equity is at the root of our foundation and at the peak of our roofline. And make no mistake, the structure of our building is not made up of two separate pillars: digital equity and digital infrastructure. Our building is constructed (using trusses sourced from Maine woods) with interconnected digital equity and digital infrastructure nodes. One cannot support the structure without the other. We need a digital equity lens in our policies, programs, and practices, to sustain the surge of infrastructure investment we will soon receive. 

[Maggie Drummond Bahl - Director of Strategic Partnerships, Maine Connectivity Authority; Jenna Ingram - Communications Manager, Maine Connectivity Authority; Andrew Butcher - President, Maine Connectivity Authority]