Diversity

Broadband offers an economic lifeline for residents on Tribal lands, but face time with local officials is required just as much as funding and technological flexibility to make it a reality, according to Muralnet CEO Mariel Triggs. Muralnet was founded in 2017 to help bring internet service to Tribal lands by working with indigenous communities to design, build and develop sustainable plans to operate local fixed and wireless networks. It’s no secret that delivering broadband on Tribal lands presents a number of unique challenges.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced it has awarded four grants as part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program.

Last week, I had the honor of hosting the Federal Communications Bar Association’s virtual Celebration—their first ever event headlined by a Chairwoman. For me, this was a big deal. Not only because it was an opportunity to have a laugh with colleagues, but as the first permanent female Chair of the FCC, having this event during Women’s History Month was an opportunity to highlight and mark the importance of women’s participation and representation across all of our work.

A “gold rush” is on for Alaska tribes and Native corporations that are trying to capture a surge of federal infrastructure money to provide city-quality broadband service in more than 200 villages statewide. Representatives for the groups say this could be their moment to transform lives and village economies by upgrading the glitchy, slow and often unaffordable cell phone and internet service that exists across rural Alaska.

Older adults have long needed help with technology. Because of this dynamic, for many years digital inclusion programs have worked extensively with older adults. Those efforts, however, became impossible to safely conduct at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, advocates in the space had to get creative. Tobey Dichter is the CEO of Generations on Line, with more than 20 years of experience in digital inclusion work with seniors. Dichter’s group offers online tutorials to help those who are connected learn more about how to navigate and stay safe on the Internet.

Angela Thi Bennett is now serving as the first-ever digital equity director at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), within the US Department of Commerce. She will move from her current position as DigitalC’s director of advocacy, where she has been a strong champion for digital inclusion in Cleveland (OH). Angela has also been deeply engaged in national digital equity work for years with National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA).

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.

The Federal Communications Commission opened a proceeding on how to prevent and eliminate digital discrimination to ensure that everyone has equal access to broadband internet access service. The Notice asks for comment on how to implement provisions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that require the FCC to combat digital discrimination, and to promote equal access to broadband across the country, regardless of income level, ethnicity, race, religion, or national origin.Specifically, the FCC seeks input on the following questions:

Two years into the pandemic, researchers are still trying to understand what makes some people more likely than others to die from Covid-19. Although we know some of the risk factors — like age and underlying disease — others are less obvious. One of the more surprising answers to this question is one that appears to have a relatively straightforward solution: internet access.

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit developing countries the hardest and recovery is continuing to accentuate the growing digital divide. When populations have affordable access to the internet and the skills to use it, digital adoption opens endless possibilities for a more resilient recovery. Digital technologies can supercharge inclusive growth but we must accelerate investment, so they reach their full potential. Governments need to make connectivity affordable, reliable, and accessible by all. In addition, people must have the skills they need to use digital technologies.