Digital Literacy

Today’s defining technology is the internet, along with the interlocking digital tools that contributed to and resulted from its inception. Artificial intelligence may well usher in its own technology epoch, but even this branch of computer science is as beholden to the internet — as the internet is to electricity. How and whether high-speed internet access is like the electrification of homes can teach us something. Getting online and knowing what to do once you’re there matters.

For over 35 years, the Center for Changing Lives (CCL) has worked to connect Chicagoans to financial services that will, well, change their lives. CCL operates in four main categories of work: 1) U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-approved housing counseling and financial coaching, 2) employment coaching and digital literacy, 3) resource development coaching, and 4) small business coaching.

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Broadband Policy and Development (BPD) Office was created in 2023 with a commitment to addressing the internet infrastructure challenges in CNMI. Under this commitment, the CNMI BPD Office assumed the responsibility of spearheading CNMI's efforts to secure federal support, like the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's Digital Equity Capacity Grant, and coordinate the effective utilization of broadband funding for residents.

“For me, being a Digital Navigator is an opportunity to give back to the community that shaped me,” shares Tyler Smith, Gila River’s Digital Navigator. “I want to help elevate our digital skills and uplift our voices in the pursuit of digital equity.” Born and raised in the Gila River Indian Community, Tyler embodies the mission of the Digital Navigator program. With his deep roots and passion for giving back, he is bridging the gap between infrastructure and accessibility, empowering residents one connection at a time.

“We are on a mission to help residents overcome the digital divide,” says Rachel Williams, the first digital navigator for Washington County (ME) who brings essential digital skills to the community’s older population. The National Digital Equity Center (NDEC) is utilizing a Google.org grant through the National Digital Inclusion Alliance's (NDIA) National Digital Navigator Corps program for Rachel and the team of Digital Navigators to help residents in this remote part of the state become more connected to the digital world.

Earlier this year, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society published The Human Infrastructure of Broadband: Looking Back, Looking Around, and Looking Ahead, highlighting how investment in the physical infrastructure of broadband—fiber-optic cables, etc—may not meet its full potential if we do not also invest in the human infrastructure of broadband—the necessary social and relational complement to the work of building physical infrastructure.

In Appalachia Kentucky where reliable internet access and digital literacy can mean the difference between opportunity and isolation, Ashley Smith is helping people navigate a new path forward. As the local Digital Navigator, Ashley has worked one-on-one with hundreds of residents, connecting them to education, jobs, and essential online resources. One of Ashley’s first clients was a college student struggling to use Blackboard, a platform essential for online coursework. Frustrated and falling behind, she turned to Ashley for help.

On November 1, 2024, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) and its Wisconsin Broadband Office (WBO) received over $13 million in Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). With this funding, WBO will implement the activities in its state Digital Equity Plan.

On December 6, 2024, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) over $5.7 million in Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program funding towards closing the digital divide in the state. Maine plans to use these funds to spearhead a number of initiatives, including: