Julia Edinger

Digital inclusion practitioners have been commemorating 30 years of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 over the past month; it became law Feb. 8, 1996.

Previous emergency planning, in coordination with other impacted agencies, informed Washington (DC) Office of the Chief Technology Officer officials as to which systems, processes, and teams are essential, said CTO Stephen Miller. “We identified very early what our critical systems are,” Miller said. During the January ice storm, emergency communications networks and 911 systems stayed online, and the call center remained fully staffed. OCTO technicians supported District of Columbia Public Schools’ technology infrastructure and the district’s Emergency Command Center.

The city of Baltimore (MD) is building trust and connectivity for its residents through community-centered efforts.

The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program is underway and on track, and the 10-year initiative is expected to continue as planned when a new presidential administration takes over the White House in January. Experts argue the new administration will not impact the program’s continuation, but 

Online classes for older adults are increasingly helping the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) not only raise digital skill levels—but more efficiently implement other technology to serve clients, including artificial intelligence.

As an end of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) funding looms, a congressional briefing was held to discuss what an end to the program could mean and its importance for achieving digital equity. Estimates from the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation predict th

Urban communities face unique challenges in effectively gaining broadband access, which primarily involve affordability and literacy. As government agencies plan for federal broadband distribution opportunities, there are steps to take to ensure digital inclusion efforts reach urban communities, those working in the space contend.

An impending vote by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) could drastically change access to state and federal communications subsidies, the kind often relied upon by low-income households for Internet and telephone services. Proposed Decision 20-02-008 addresses whether recipients of federal subsidies through the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and similar federal subsidy programs would also be able to receive maximum subsidies through the California LifeLine program.

More partnerships are being launched to combat the digital divide, and experts believe these collaborative efforts will continue to be an important part of the solution in rural America.

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.