Category Archives: Digital Divide

Broadband industry leaders flag concerns about USF and permitting issues

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Never mind questions about BEAD, industry leaders are saying USF and permitting issues are even bigger barriers, as reported by Broadband Breakfast…

Despite much attention Wednesday to whether and how the $42.5 billion BEAD program will change under the Trump administration, industry executives warned House lawmakers at a hearing that two other challenges may pose a greater long-term threat to rural broadband deployment.

Even if BEAD were fixed overnight, the uncertain future for the Universal Service Fund and bureaucratic permitting hurdles could stall or kill rural deployment, executives from independent and wireless groups warned during Wednesday’s House Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing.

“If USF went away completely, then we would quickly have very negative operating income,” said Greg Hale, CEO of LTC Connect, a rural broadband cooperative in Kentucky.

Bill introduced in MN Senate: SF2224: relieving telecom carriers of the obligation to serve certain areas; requiring the Office of Broadband Dev to resolve disputes

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Reported by the MN Senate...

Senator Rasmusson introduced–
S.F. No. 2224: A bill for an act relating to commerce; relieving telephone companies or telecommunications carriers of the obligation to serve certain areas; requiring the Office of Broadband Development to resolve disputes; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 237.
Referred to the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection.

A bill for an act
relating to commerce; relieving telephone companies or telecommunications
carriers of the obligation to serve certain areas; requiring the Office of Broadband
Development to resolve disputes; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota
Statutes, chapter 237.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

[237.181] SERVICE TO AREAS WITH CARRY VOICE OVER
INTERNET PROTOCOL SERVICES.

Subdivision 1.

Service requirement.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision in this
chapter, a telephone company or telecommunications carrier is not required to offer services
in an area the Federal Communications Commission has identified through mapping or a
successor data program as having telecommunications infrastructure available to carry voice
over Internet protocol services.

(b) A telephone company or telecommunications carrier that is not required to offer
service in an area pursuant to paragraph (a) must: (1) notify the Public Utilities Commission
that the telephone company or telecommunications carrier is not offering service in the area
pursuant to paragraph (a); and (2) notify the relevant customers of the process under
subdivision 2 to dispute whether the Federal Communications Commission identified the
customer’s location as having telecommunications infrastructure available to carry voice
over Internet protocol services.

Subd. 2.

Dispute resolution.

(a) The Office of Broadband Development established
under section 116J.39 must resolve a dispute over whether a federal data program shows a
location as having telecommunications infrastructure available to carry voice over Internet
protocol services.

(b) A customer that disputes whether a federal data program shows a location as having
telecommunications infrastructure available to carry voice over Internet protocol services
must send a letter or email notifying the Office of Broadband Development of the dispute.
Within five business days of the date the dispute notice is received, the Office of Broadband
Development must notify the relevant telephone company or telecommunications carrier.

(c) The telephone company or telecommunications carrier must respond to the customer’s
letter or email within five business days of the date the Office of Broadband Development
provided notice under paragraph (b).

(d) The state broadband director must resolve the dispute within 15 business days of the
date the telephone company or telecommunications carrier responds to the customer’s dispute
letter or email, or the deadline to respond under paragraph (c), whichever is earlier. The
state broadband director must determine whether the Federal Communications Commission
identified the area as having telecommunications infrastructure available to carry voice over
Internet protocol services.

(e) If the state broadband director determines the Federal Communications Commission
identified the area as having telecommunications infrastructure available to carry voice over
Internet protocol services, the telephone company or telecommunications carrier is relieved
of any obligation to serve the disputed location. This paragraph does not relieve the telephone
company or telecommunications carrier from providing services under any applicable federal
obligation.

(f) If the state broadband director determines that the Federal Communications
Commission identified the location as not having telecommunications infrastructure available
to carry voice over Internet protocol services, the telephone company or telecommunications
carrier is not relieved of any obligation to serve the disputed location.

Three things a recent study found about remote work

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Harvard Business School reports…

Harvard Business School research continues to reveal the contours of a workforce changed by COVID-19. And yet, despite the technological advancements of the past five years, a digital divide persists. …

  1. Many workers are lagging in digital literacy
    In a study of 40 million Microsoft Windows devices across US households in more than 28,000 ZIP codes, a vast “digital divide” emerged, with people in rural areas significantly lagging behind cities in their use of computers, according to Raffaella Sadun and Shane Greenstein.
  2. Migrant-local collaborations benefit communities
    Prithwiraj Choudhury and a collaborator held a two-day entrepreneurial boot camp as a field experiment. Among the 278 participants, the researchers paired some local residents with fellow locals, then paired other locals with migrants who came from all over the United States and as far away as Africa, the Middle East, and Japan.
  3. Many people would give up pay for remote work
    Zoë Cullen and Christopher Stanton asked more than 2,000 workers if they would be willing to give up part of their salaries to keep their flexibility rather than return to the office five days a week or find a new job.

March 13: Building for Digital Equity livestream with ILSR and NDIA

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Looks like an interesting meeting. Revati Prasad is a smart speaker…

As digital inclusion advocates look to get their bearings amid an all-out assault on federal broadband funding programs, the next Building For Digital Equity livestream offers a port in the storm.

Slated for March 13 from 3 to 4:15 pm ET – and once again co-hosted by ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks Initiative and the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) – the keynote speaker for the UTOPIA Fiber sponsored event will be Revati Prasad, Vice President of Programs with the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.

“Charting the Course: Adapting to Policy Shifts While Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize” promises to bring hundreds of digital inclusion practitioners together to regroup and recalibrate while hearing from those working in the trenches to adequately address broadband access challenges across the nation.

Registration for the increasingly popular live stream is now open above.

As with the previous #B4DE events, the March live stream will once again be sponsored by UTOPIA Fiber and co-hosted by NDIA and ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks Initiative.

Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to learn, connect, and make a difference as digital equity advocates across the nation are leveraging historic federal investments in the expansion of broadband access and adoption.

The livestream will be available (and later archived) on Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn with live viewer questions answered by the invited speakers and presenters, which is still being finalized. We will also be live posting from the Community Broadband Networks Bluesky page.

BEAD program targeting: A preliminary analysis and recommendations on how to serve those most in the need

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USC Annenberg has releases a report (BEAD program targeting: A preliminary analysis) that looks at potential impact of BEAD with recommendations on how to reach the folks who were originally priority households for the funding. High level remarks on the report…

Overall, the results suggest that BEAD will primarily benefit low population density areas where adoption of high-speed broadband is lagging, with limited expected impacts in other areas. A particularly important finding is that, after controlling for other demographic factors, the share of households in poverty is not correlated with priority BEAD areas in plans submitted to the NTIA. This finding raises concerns about whether BEAD will meet its mandate of reducing income-based disparities in high-speed broadband access. At the same time, the findings also point to vast differences in program targeting across states, suggesting that these impacts will be highly dependent on local contexts.

 

Getting into details of how low is the population density…

A key demographic characteristic of BEAD clusters is low population density: the average density across these block groups is ~300 people per square mile (PPSM), compared to approximately 6,500 PPSM in other block groups. It is worth noting this figure is lower than the 500 PPSM threshold used by the Census Bureau to distinguish urban from rural areas. In total, approximately 93% of BEAD clusters fall below the 500 PPSM threshold. This suggests that the impacts of the BEAD program are likely to be very limited in urbanized areas and large population centers.

The report also looks at broadband access, income disparity and poverty and comes to finding the characteristics that are more strongly associated with BEAD clusters…

In order to examine this question, we create two regression models to predict whether a block group falls within our definition of a BEAD cluster conditional on a set of demographic characteristics including education, age, race/ethnicity, employment and poverty levels (see table A1 for full model results). The two models are identical except that in model 1 the share of households with any broadband service is used as a predictor, while in model 2 the share of households with high-speed broadband is used as a predictor. As expected, population density is one the strongest predictors, with the probability of being flagged as a BEAD cluster (holding other variables constant) dropping sharply as density increases (Figure 9). The probability also drops as education (share of population with bachelor’s degree or higher) and labor force participation increases. Conversely, the predicted probability increases with the share of White-only residents in the block group but is unaffected by the share of Hispanic population or the share of foreign born residents.

Their takeaways…

The BEAD program offers states a unique opportunity to address enduring gaps in high-speed broadband access. The program allows significant flexibility for each state to establish priorities and select grantees, recognizing that the drivers and characteristics of such gaps depend on local factors. While the roll-out of the program has been delayed by lapses in coordination between NTIA and state policymakers, BEAD retains bipartisan support and is on track to begin disbursing funds in early 2025.8

As a matter of first principles, appropriate program targeting is critical to ensure that BEAD funding primarily reaches the areas and residents in most need of support for high-speed broadband access. State policymakers will also need to factor in the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a key complement to BEAD that provided direct support for service subscriptions to a broad group of eligible households.9 The absence of ACP support weakens service demand among low-income households and thus raises concerns about the long-term financial viability of BEAD-supported networks. The large number of defaults in the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) program, a comparable program designed to connect rural locations through reverse auction bidding, provides a cautionary note worth heeding.10

Based on the demographic analysis of BSLs preliminary designated by states as eligible to receive BEAD funding, we find that BEAD will primarily benefit low population density areas where adoption of high speed broadband is lagging, with limited expected impacts in other areas. A particularly important finding is that, after controlling for other demographic factors, the share of households in poverty is not correlated with priority BEAD areas in plans submitted to the NTIA. In fact, in one model specification, the probability of classification as a BEAD cluster falls as poverty levels increase. This finding raises concerns about whether BEAD will meet its mandate of reducing income-based disparities in high-speed broadband access. At the same time, the findings also point to vast differences in program targeting across states, suggesting that these impacts will be highly dependent on local contexts.

It is worth recalling the limitations of the analysis presented above. First, eligible locations will not necessarily receive BEAD funding. Rather, they represent the universe of locations from which network operators will selectively submit funding bids to state policymakers. Further, our data predates the BEAD challenge process, and preliminary analysis suggests major adjustments to location eligibility in some but not all states following the challenge process. This is an issue we address in a forthcoming policy brief.

Overall, these preliminary findings call for continued monitoring of the demographic factors that correlate with the allocation of BEAD funds. To this end, the availability of data on a timely basis and full transparency in decision-making from federal and state policymakers remain critical. Given the historic level of investment in broadband in the IIJA of 2021, it is imperative to continue promoting independent evaluations of the funding priorities and the long-terms impacts of the BEAD program.

Bill introduced in MN House HF1606: prohibiting access to nudification technology

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The Minnestoa House reports…

Stephenson introduced:

H. F. 1606, A bill for an act relating to commerce; prohibiting access to nudification technology; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 325E.

The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Commerce Finance and Policy.

I am unlikely to follow this closely, but I wanted to make folks aware as I see this as a digital awareness and security issue. The bill as introduced…

A bill for an act
relating to commerce; prohibiting access to nudification technology; proposing
coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 325E.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. 

[325E.91] PROHIBITION ON NUDIFICATION TECHNOLOGY.

Subdivision 1. 

Definitions.

(a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have
the meanings given.

(b) “Intimate part” has the meaning given in section 604.32, subdivision 1, paragraph
(d).

(c) “Nudify” means the process by which:

(1) an image or video is altered to reveal an intimate part not depicted in the original
unaltered image or video; or

(2) the depiction is so realistic that a reasonable person would believe the depiction
reveals an intimate part of an identifiable individual.

Subd. 2. 

Nudification prohibited. 

A person who owns or controls a website, application,
software, or program must not allow a user to access, download, or use the website to nudify
an image or video.

Subd. 3. 

Civil action; damages. 

An individual injured by a violation of this section may
bring an action for:

(1) compensatory damages, including mental anguish or suffering, in an amount up to
three times the actual damages sustained;

(2) punitive damages;

(3) injunctive relief;

(4) reasonable attorney fees, costs, and disbursements; and

(5) other relief the court deems just and equitable.

Subd. 4. 

Penalties. 

The attorney general may enforce this section under section 8.31.
In addition to other remedies or penalties, a person that violates this section is subject to a
civil penalty of not less than $500,000 for each unlawful access, download, or use under
subdivision 2.

EFFECTIVE DATE. 

This section is effective August 1, 2025, and applies to causes
of action accruing on or after that date.

Turns out the Affordable Connectivity Program was a good investment – according to report

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The Brattle Group reports…

The ACP helped connect more than 23 million households to internet service. However, the program expired in May 2024 due to a lack of funding. In the report, the Brattle coauthors show that reinstating the ACP could lead to significant savings and benefits for the U.S. in healthcare, education, and the labor market. The total quantified benefits in these areas are significantly larger than the program’s modest annual cost of $7.3 billion; in fact, the overall healthcare savings alone are quadruple the ACP’s annual funding and could more than offset the costs of the entire program if it were reinstated.

Key highlights of the report include:

  • By improving access to telehealth alone, the ACP generates an estimated $28.9–$29.5 billion in annual healthcare cost savings. Increased access to virtual care reduces the need for in-person medical visits while generating better health outcomes.

  • A switch from one physical visit to telehealth for one single Medicaid recipient could save enough money to fund 5 years of ACP support for one Medicaid recipient.

  • Over 80% of the annual costs of the ACP could be offset solely from $6.0 billion in Congressional Budget Office (CBO) scorable telehealth-induced cost savings under Medicaid.

  • Reinstating the ACP would improve students’ academic performance and benefit their future earnings by over $3.7 billion per year, starting approximately 10 years after high school.

  • $2.1–$4.3 billion in annual wage gains from expanded labor force participation could be generated if the program were reinstated.

Who are the Brattle Group? According to the website…

The Brattle Group answers complex economic, finance, and regulatory questions for corporations, law firms, and governments around the world. We are distinguished by the clarity of our insights and the credibility of our experts, which include leading international academics and industry specialists. Brattle has 500 talented professionals across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.

They have been around since 1983 and work with law firms and large companies.

Ars Technica reports on CenturyLink outages

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Ars Technica reports…

Unfortunately, it keeps happening, and CenturyLink (also known as Lumen) can’t seem to explain why. In only the last two months, we heard from CenturyLink customers in three states who were without service for periods of between three weeks and over four months.

In early December, we heard from John in Boulder, Colorado, who preferred that we not publish his last name. John said he and his wife had been without CenturyLink phone and DSL Internet service for over three weeks. …

John also told us his elderly neighbors were without service. He read our February 2024 article about a 39-day outage in Oregon and wondered if we could help. We also published an August 2023 article about CenturyLink leaving an 86-year-old woman in Minnesota with no Internet service for a month and a May 2024 article about CenturyLink leaving a couple in Oregon with no service for two months, then billing them for $239.

The article outlines the trials and tribulations of getting these problems fixed. In the examples given, it helps when Ars Technica contacted the provider.  Any company can have an off day, the question is – how or why is it happening? It sounds like one issue is trying to maintain an old technology and grow another technology at the same time…

John praised CenturyLink’s local repair team but said his requests for repairs apparently weren’t routed to the right people. A CenturyLink manager told John that the local crew never got the repair ticket from the phone-based customer service team, he said.

The technician who fixed the service offered some insight into the local problems, John told us. “He said that in the mountains of western Boulder County, there are a total of five techs who know how to work with copper wire,” John told us. “All the other employees only work with fiber. CenturyLink is losing the people familiar with copper and not replacing them, even though copper is what the west half of the county depends on.”

Lumen says it has 1.08 million fiber broadband subscribers and 1.47 million “other broadband subscribers,” defined as “customers that primarily subscribe to lower speed copper-based broadband services marketed under the CenturyLink brand.”

Charter Communications helps Willmar Community Center to kickstart a mobile lab

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The West Central Tribune reports…

Charter Communications on Friday donated $2,500 and tablet computers to the Willmar Community Center to kickstart a mobile lab, which will allow community center users to access the internet.

Charter Communications provides internet service in the city of Willmar under the name Spectrum and the donation is part of Charter Communications’ community center assist program, a $30 million philanthropic initiative to revitalize local community centers, invest in job training programs and invest in under-served rural and urban networks, according to David Larson, government affairs director for Charter Communications.

EVENT Mar 13: Charting the Course: Adapting to Policy Shifts While Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize”

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Looks like a good event…

“Charting the Course: Adapting to Policy Shifts While Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize” promises to bring hundreds of digital inclusion practitioners together for the increasingly popular virtual gathering that aims to offer insights and ground-truth on how communities continue to their work in closing the digital divide at a time when the programs established to do so have been tossed into disarray.

Registration is now open here

Slated for March 13 from 3 to 4:15 pm ET, the upcoming live stream will once again be co-hosted by ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks Initiative and the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) and sponsored by UTOPIA Fiber.

The livestream will be available (and later archived) on Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn with live viewer questions answered by the invited speakers and presenters, which is still being finalized. We will also be live posting from the Community Broadband Networks Bluesky page.

EVENT Feb 3: Consider Affordable Broadband State-By-State

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An invitation from the Institute for Local Self Reliance…

As other states consider filing or supporting legislation similar to New York’s Affordable Broadband Act that requires large broadband providers to offer a low-cost plan for low-income households, ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks Initiative is hosting a special live forum focused on what New York lawmakers did with the law and the ripple effects it has created.

“Consider Affordable Broadband State-By-State” will be held live on Monday February 3rd from 3:00 to 4 pm ET on ILSR’s YouTube channel.

The agenda will focus on what New York’s affordable broadband law includes and what other states may want to consider in crafting similar legislation.

The livestream will be free to any interested participants. It can be viewed here.

Bring your questions as the live forum will hold space for Q&A.

Ahead of the live stream, you can read our analysis and our fact sheets on the law here and here.

EVENT Jan 30: Libraries in Response Event | Human Infrastructure of Broadband” Project

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An invitation from Benton Institute for Broadband & Society...

Libraries in Response

Session 117: “’Human Infrastructure of Broadband” Project”

Registration is Open
Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025
11am ET / 1600 UTC

Speakers:
Adrianne Furniss, Executive Director at Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Revati Prasad,  VP of Programs, Benton Institute
“Whether it is a librarian helping a veteran fill out an online benefits application at a public computer, a digital navigator assisting a senior citizen in signing up for affordable home broadband, a digital skills trainer teaching social media privacy in Spanish, or a device refurbisher helping students find devices to use at home—all comprise the human infrastructure of broadband.” – Benton Institute

Join in to get the latest on this ground breaking report from Benton Institute. In complement to the $4.25 billion BEAD program, congress also passed the $2.75 billion Digital Equity Act, which aims “to ensure that all people and communities have the skills, technology, and capacity needed to reap the full benefits of our digital economy.”

While critical, simply connecting homes is not enough to allow everyone to fully participate in the digital economy and society. But how is this supposed to work? What processes and structures are in place or need to be created to implement such an ambitious goal?

“The vast majority of funding in the immense Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is focused on building physical networks to locations where people are unconnected or insufficiently connected.

Investments and research have traditionally privileged the wires and poles of broadband infrastructure without accounting for or making explicit the human infrastructure needed to enable digital opportunity. But fiber-optic cables may just be glass in the ground if people cannot subscribe to and use high-speed internet access. 

The human infrastructure of broadband is the necessary social and relational complement to the work of building physical infrastructure. The human infrastructure of broadband helps people—including, but not limited to, traditionally marginalized groups—access and make meaningful use of broadband.” — Benton Institute
Registration is Open
Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025
11am ET / 1600 UTC

Benton Institute looks at Minnesota’s Digital Equity Capacity Funds Plan

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The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society takes a look at Minnesota’s Digital Equity Capacity Funds…

The Minnesota Office of Broadband Development (OBD) received over $12 million from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to implement its Digital Opportunity Plan using Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program funds. Through these funds, OBD aims to connect Minnesotans to digital equity information, resources, and––most importantly––each other. Broadly, these funds will be used to:

  •  Pilot a Digital Opportunity Leaders Network to combine “local energy, regional expertise, and statewide continuity”;
  • Create a directory of Digital Opportunity resources; and
  • Explore potential models for a program similar to the Affordable Connectivity Program, a statewide technology helpline, and a state-managed system to loan large-screen devices.

Digital Connection Committees (DCCs) are the heart of Minnesota’s digital opportunity planning process. Devised by OBD specifically for digital opportunity planning, DCCs are self-selected workgroups formed on a voluntary basis by a variety of entities, including political subdivisions, tribes, non-profits, anchor institutions, faith-based organizations, Minnesota-based businesses, and more–or any combination of these. DCCs gathered digital inclusion data and submitted the data to OBD. OBD provided targeted financial support for DCCs primarily through Assessing Digital Inclusion Mini-Grants. With inclusion in mind, OBD chose to make these grants non-competitive, awarding funds based on each individual application’s completeness, timeliness, and adherence to the scope of the intended grant work.

They go on to outline how OBD plans to achieve its connectivity goals and set Minnesota up for a future of digital opportunity.

Is Minnesota prepared to tackle digital literacy?

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MinnPost posts a Opinion piece from educator Justin Piehowski asking if Minnesota ready to embrace digital literacy…

Minnesota has long prided itself on being one of the most literate states in the country.
Minnesota consistently ranks second in the nation for literacy, measured by factors like library resources, newspaper circulation and education levels. But literacy in the 21st century isn’t just about books, newspapers or even e-readers. Today, information floods into our lives through screens, apps and endless notifications.
While Minnesota excels in traditional literacy, we must ask: Is Minnesota equally prepared to lead the country in digital literacy?

He mentions legislation from last year that he thought might have helped..

In Minnesota last year, SF 3474, a bill proposing a statewide digital literacy advisory council, was discussed but failed to pass. It’s unclear if there will be digital literacy-related legislation coming this year.

We often blame COVID-19 for the social and emotional upheavals of recent years, but I believe another force played an equally significant role: information overload. During the pandemic, many of us became unintentional curators of our own digital ecosystems. We sifted through contradictory headlines, viral social media posts and algorithmically curated content, trying to make sense of a rapidly changing world. The strain of this relentless information deluge wasn’t just cognitive — it was emotional, even existential.

It goes beyond education…

This isn’t just an educational issue — it’s an economic one. Minnesota’s workforce is evolving, and simple digital competency is no longer optional in most professions. From agriculture to healthcare, our industries need workers who can critically engage with digital tools and information systems.

Passing legislation is one step, but real change happens in classrooms, libraries and living rooms. Schools need resources, educators need training and parents need support to guide their children in a world filled with digital distractions.

But this isn’t just about preventing harm — it’s about societal agency. Digital literacy can empower young people to become creators, not just consumers, of technology. It can equip adults to advocate for themselves in a digital healthcare system, protect their privacy, and make informed decisions in an era of AI and misinformation. It’s about giving Minnesotans control over these powerful digital forces instead of being swayed by tech companies, political movements or foreign actors.

Minnesota has always valued education as a cornerstone of its identity. Digital literacy is the next chapter in that story.

Biden Recommendations for $369 Million Digital Equity Act awards includes1 MN groups

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Last week, I wrote about two Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program awards from the NTIA that went to the Hmong American Partnership and Minnesota State Colleges & Universities as well as other projects in other states. Today they announced more…

Today, the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has recommended for award more than $369 million to 41 organizations to support digital skills and inclusion projects in communities across the country. These investments will empower individuals and communities across the nation with the essential skills they need to thrive in today’s connected world.

This funding comes from the $1.25 billion Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program, one of three Digital Equity Act grant programs created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

One award includes Minnesota…

Program: Communication Service for the Deaf, Inc.
Locations: TX, AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, NE, NY, NJ, NV
Proposed Project Activities:

  • Distribution of pre-configured, accessible equipment to Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind individuals
  • Establishment of the Deaf Digital Advancement Initiative – an American Sign Language -centric digital literacy training program that will include offerings such as technology equipment training, ensuring participants can effectively use and maintain their devices
  • Digital literacy training, covering Internet basics, online safety, and digital communication tools
  • American Sign Language classes focused on technology-related vocabulary and online communication
  • Job training tailored for the digital workforce, including skills for online job searching and remote work
  • Implementation of a direct video calling support system that aims to facilitate easier access to interpreting services across various state agency settings, significantly enhancing the ability of Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind individuals to communicate effectively and access public services in government offices
  • Develop accessible digital health training programs and creating culturally competent health education materials; and establishing a public health information hotline.