Tucson, Arizona, Coalition Builds Around Broadband and Digital Equity

Tucson Connected, a public-private partnership in Arizona, aims to link the digital inclusion efforts of several entities in a unified effort to reach residents. The project, which launched in the fall of 2021, is meant to unify a number of entities with a stake in increasing regional digital equity and address the barriers impeding Internet adoption. The coalition’s primary focus will be identifying barriers and connecting stakeholders to available subsidies. Local governments have been making digital equity more of a priority since the onset of COVID-19, and many experts believe partnerships are the critical piece to closing the divide. Coalitions across the country, like the Oakland (CA) Town Link program, are working to do just that. The Tucson Connected partnership includes over 20 entities, led by Cox Communications. Other entities include the city of Tucson (AZ), Pima County (AZ), Comcast, San Miguel (AZ) High School and Boys & Girls Clubs. Michelle Simon, deputy director of support services at Pima County Public Library, explained that Tucson Connected was started because of the 2021 Emergency Broadband Benefit program — which ended and has been replaced by the Affordable Connectivity Program. While many organizations are working to connect people to the subsidies that are available and advance other digital equity work, Simon said that Tucson Connected is a way to pull these siloed endeavors together for a cohesive effort.