National Skills Coalition

As states begin to receive their allocations from the $42 billion federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment or BEAD program, Florida is leading the way in preparing the workforce needed for new high-speed internet networks. State officials were quick to convene industry stakeholders as part of their broadband planning process last year, and the state’s BEAD proposal has an unusually detailed section on workforce readiness.

Skills advocates and digital inclusion advocates frequently ask National Skills Coalition for examples of how their peers are collecting, analyzing, and using data for advocacy. We’re happy to highlight several reports that use data about digital skills in creative ways. 

Tennessee’s digital skills policies are making the state a leader as full-blown implementation of the federal Digital Equity Act begins.

A notable 92% of jobs today require digital skills, but one-third of workers don’t have the foundational digital skills necessary to enter and thrive in today’s jobs. Closing this digital skill divide leads to higher pay, better business outcomes, and benefits to local economies. America needs a comprehensive policy strategy to close the digital skill divide.

The digital divide isn’t just about access to broadband and computers and other hardware, it’s also about access to skills. Massive investments made through the bipartisan infrastructure law will send billions of dollars to states and localities across the U.S. over the next five years to help close the digital divide. This includes millions that will flow to Michigan through the Digital Equity Act and the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.

The digital divide isn’t just about access to broadband and computers and other hardware, it’s also about access to skills. Massive investments made through the bipartisan infrastructure law will send billions of dollars to states and localities across the US over the next five years to help close the digital divide. This includes $1.3 billion that is slated to flow to Georgia through the Digital Equity Act and the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.

The federal Digital Equity Act and the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program will collectively send more than $1 billion to Illinois, and state officials have been working for more than a year to lay out their roadmap for implementation. The State Digital Equity Plan describes how Illinois officials envision supporting broadband adoption, digital devices, and digital skills, while the BEAD 

As implementation of the $2.75 billion federal Digital Equity Act gets underway, state broadband officials and other policymakers are hurrying to put plans in place to measure the impact of these new investments. A key area of focus is digital skills—how to measure the baseline of residents’ current skills, what data digital skills program providers will need to collect and report on, how to set targets for improvement, and more. The field has not yet coalesced around a single list of digital skills that all individuals should possess.

National Skills Coalition (NSC) announced a partnership with Comcast to educate local, state, and national decision-makers about the benefits of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to promote digital equity and opportunity nationwide. The initiative aims to help close the digital skill divide that is currently limiting educational and employment opportunities for nearly 50 million Americans.

President-Elect Joe Biden recognized the nation’s urgent need for investment in digital skills with his campaign pledge to pass the Digital Literacy Act. As legislative action begins to get underway, the Biden Administration can and should take decisive administrative action to fill the vacuum in national leadership on digital literacy. In particular, the White House should convene a new Digital Skills for a Digital Age interagency task force that includes among other agencies the Departments of Commerce (DOC), Labor (DOL), and Education (ED).