Policies, Plans, and Promises

With support from the Marjorie and Charles Benton Opportunity Fund, the research group has launched two projects that delve deep into how states are addressing access for Tribal Nations and online safety and privacy. Fellows perform a textual analysis of BEAD and digital equity plans, as well as conducting interviews with state broadband leaders and relevant stakeholders.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act recognizes that the digital divide is particularly acute for Tribal Nations and identifies Indigenous and Native Americans as one of the eight underrepresented communities disproportionately impacted by digital inequity. States are charged with coordination, stakeholder engagement, and outreach with Tribal and Native entities as they plan for and implement both the BEAD Program and the DEA Programs. States must not only address Tribal needs but also demonstrate their engagement process with Tribal entities.

• In The Effective Engagement Scale: Measuring How States and Tribes Are Collaborating in the BEAD Program, Sharayah Lane, Senior Advisor for Indigenous Community Connectivity at the Internet Society, examines how states worked with Tribal Nations. By analyzing states’ outreach, planning, and coordination activities, Lane developed the Effective Engagement Scale. 

Greta Byrum's fellowship focused on online safety, privacy, and well-being, developing strategic guidance for how state digital equity plans can help new and historically marginalized users navigate the internet safely. Her final report, Building Safety Into Digital Inclusion Efforts: Risks and Opportunities in the Digital Equity Act, included an audit of how state digital equity plans address digital privacy, security, and safety.

The state audit (excerpted from the final report) is available here. 

The Policies, Plans, and Promises Research Group will also produce other research and analysis on state planning efforts looking at a range of issues, including approaches to affordability, sustainability, and others.