States are using their digital equity plans to demonstrate how successful digital inclusion efforts can advance progress toward other goals, including improvements to civic and social engagement, economic development, education, health care, and delivery of essential services. For example, broader availability of affordable high-speed internet and digital skills can help residents access government services online, apply for jobs, take online classes, and use telehealth resources. Although these tasks are not the direct focus of the federal Digital Equity Act, measures that boost broadband adoption will enable more households to reap the benefits of the digital economy.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 included $2.75 billion for digital equity initiatives, including the Digital Equity Planning Grant and Digital Equity Capacity Grant programs. All 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico created Digital Equity Plans under the planning grant program. These plans now inform their applications for funding through the capacity grant program, which is intended to “promote the achievement of digital equity, support digital inclusion activities, and build capacity for efforts by States relating to the adoption of broadband by residents of those States.”
States are designing programs to assess the full impact of connectivity on households. The Digital Equity Planning Grant Notice of Funding Opportunity required alignment between broadband policies and broader state policy goals. The Pew Charitable Trusts reviewed these plans for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The findings highlight the direct and indirect impact that digital equity goals can have on a wide range of policy areas.
States are emphasizing the importance of digital inclusion to ensuring equitable access to government services. For example, California’s plan spells out a goal to increase the percentage of residents using the internet to apply for or use public benefits or other essential services by 34% by 2027 and 50% by 2030. Georgia, meanwhile, plans to integrate digital civic engagement into a digital skills framework for residents. That framework will set a standard for digital skills proficiency that incorporates financial literacy, online safety, and other professional development services. And Rhode Island will work to ensure residents have the digital skills they need to participate in community programs and public processes—such as government and public meetings—that are conducted online.
Digital equity programs also can support goals around boosting workforce skills by improving digital skills needed for today’s job market (Arkansas, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington), creating jobs related to broadband and technology (Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Montana, Ohio, Vermont), and increasing remote work opportunities (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, Oklahoma). Other states highlight the critical relationship between agriculture, broadband, and digital tools and skills and how these applications can increase productivity, efficiency, and profit (Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Virginia).
Arkansas, for example, plans to work with partners to develop digital skills trainings related to agriculture. The state also will explore specialized digital skills curricula for health care applications and small businesses. Indiana, meanwhile, intends to incentivize employers to provide home internet or home devices for their employees. And Colorado hopes to increase the number of workers entering broadband training programs and becoming employed in the broadband field.
Recognizing that digital skills are critical to education today, states are planning to increase internet access and skills training in schools, provide devices for students, and offer opportunities for both children and adults to learn digital skills.
Hawaii, for example, will support year-round use of devices for students and extend the hours of free public Wi-Fi availability at public schools to boost connectivity for students and families.
Illinois, meanwhile, has set objectives to ensure that all students and teachers have access to reliable internet and devices, increase the percentage of school districts offering parent/caregiver training on technology and remote learning, and increase access to online courses. And Arizona plans to incorporate steps to boost such skills into K-12 educational standards by creating a statewide “Seal of Digital Literacy” to recognize students who achieve high proficiency in digital skills.
States are also tying their digital equity goals to initiatives to improve health outcomes through expanded telehealth and access to health records and monitoring. Some states and territories plan to establish telehealth access points, dedicated public spaces for people to take their telehealth appointments (Arizona, the District of Columbia, Maine, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma); incorporate telehealth-specific training into digital skills trainings (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina); or deploy health digital navigators (Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa).
Ohio plans to build on the success of several school-based telehealth pilot programs that have provided nearly 22,000 students with access to telehealth since early in the COVID-19 public health emergency in 2020. The state is looking to expand this program to other school districts and has partnered with OCHIN, a national nonprofit that focuses on equitable health care innovation and access to care for underserved communities. OCHIN will serve as a statewide telehealth administrator to support administrators in 10 districts in planning such programs in their schools. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction is also working with Ohio State University on developing a modernized telehealth platform to provide specialty medical consults for incarcerated populations.
The state plans, in general, focus on increasing government website accessibility and ensuring that government services are widely available online. For example, Idaho will work with state agencies to evaluate the accessibility of state websites, improve functionality, and increase accessibility features on state government digital content. Idaho will focus on increasing accessibility of websites with services and resources for veterans and those leaving incarceration.
Digital equity has become increasingly essential for full participation in the modern economy and society. State policymakers know that internet access has the potential to improve health, education, and workforce outcomes and ensure that more households can thrive. By including these goals in their digital equity plans, they are demonstrating the potentially far-reaching impact of expanded broadband access and digital equity.
Kelly Wert works on internet access in vulnerable communities for The Pew Charitable Trusts’ broadband access initiative.