Digital Equity/Digital Inclusion

The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, the US government’s $42 billion broadband grants program, requires recipients to provide a Letter of Credit for 25% of the grant award. Alongside the additional 25% match requirement, this capital barrier will shut out a huge number of internet service providers (ISP).The small and community-centered ISPs, minority and women-owned businesses, nonprofits, and municipalities that the program claims to be targeting will be most affected.

Municipal broadband providers, which play a vital role in bridging the digital divide, should have equitable access to federal funding regardless of state regulatory roadblocks, said Gigi Sohn, executive director of the American Association for Public Broadband.

The Arkansas State Broadband Office (ASBO) recently launched its Digital Skills and Opportunity Survey as part of the state’s larger planning process to better understand the complexities of the digital divide.

Governor Wes Moore (D-MD) launched the Maryland ActNow campaign in partnership with EducationSuperHighway, reaffirming the Moore-Miller administration’s commitment to closing the digital divide by extending broadband internet access to all Marylanders and making it more affordable.

“Updated data!” is a phrase that fills the hearts of data nerds everywhere and we’re here to help with an update to our Affordable Connectivity Program Enrollment Performance Tool. The data for the first version of the ACP Tool was current through January 2023, but we’ve fielded questions recently asking about updates. We now release an updated ACP Enrollment Performance Tool with data that runs through April 2023.

The Aspen Institute's Principles for Latino Digital Success were conceived as a series of guidelines to inform the design and implementation of effective digital equity efforts targeting the Latino community in the United States. Our generation is responsible for maximizing the impact of these Federal investments. We have a unique chance to build the foundations of a better society with equal opportunities for everyone to succeed and thrive and for the US economy to remain at the forefront of global innovation.

The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) launched the Digital Equity Dashboard, an innovative and practical tool designed to help school districts and communities leverage data to close digital equity gaps. The dashboard integrates various national data sets into one comprehensive dashboard.

The City of Seattle (WA) received $393,200 to help connect Seattle residents to reliable, affordable high-speed internet. The funding stems from the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Outreach Grant Program.

Deployment cost estimates underlying winning Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) bids are no longer accurate, representatives for a coalition of RDOF winners told FCC officials on July 14. The representatives suggested several possible remedies, including providing additional funding and other ideas. In a letter summarizing the meeting, the coalition cited “massive and unprecedented increases in broadband deployment construction costs . . .

Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) and Representative Doris Matsui (D-CA) reintroduced their Algorithmic Justice and Online Platform Transparency Act. Specifically, the Algorithmic Justice and Online Platform Transparency Act would: