Assessing Washington’s Digital Equity Plan

In light of concerns stakeholders expressed around the coordination of digital equity efforts in Washington, this audit examined the condition of the state’s current overarching digital equity plan. The Washington State Legislature has assigned key responsibilities around promoting digital equity to the Washington State Broadband Office within the Washington State Department of Commerce and the Washington State Office of Equity. The Broadband Office’s responsibilities include developing a state digital equity plan, coordinating efforts that are specifically related to broadband, and providing grants to organizations that support a variety of digital equity projects. The Office of Equity has been assigned responsibilities related to digital equity as an aspect of its work to reduce disparities and improve outcomes statewide. The audit found the state does not have a unified digital equity plan, and its efforts lack coordination and a designated leader. None of the three plans identified that deal with digital equity offers a coordinated, comprehensive, statewide approach to digital equity. In addition to the absence of a unified state-level plan for digital equity, Washington also lacks both a designated leader and reliable funding for digital equity efforts.