Category Archives: Digital Divide

EVENT Sep 21: Best Practices for Learn-to-Earn Digital Inclusion Programs

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From the National Digital Inclusion Alliance…

Date & Time
Sep 21, 2026 01:00 PM  in 
Description
Learn-to-earn programs are one way organizations combine support for multiple barriers to digital inclusion, often pairing device ownership with the completion of digital skills training or testing. Learn-to-earn models may be selected for a number of reasons, such as the belief that pairing device ownership with digital skills training deepens long-term impact or funding requirements like those included in NTIA’s current Native Entities Grant Program. Join us to learn best practices for developing the most impactful learn-to-earn programs for digital inclusion and unpack the Native Entities Grant Program’s specific requirements related to learn-to-earn programs. Digitunity will start us off with an overview of learn-to-earn models, research behind learning incentives and key decision points on eligibility, completion requirements, data collection, and device sourcing and support followed by presentations and Q&A with panelists who have experience implementing learn-to-earn programs. Attendees will leave with practical resources and guidance for how they might develop or improve their own learn-to-earn programs.

There are good reasons for telecom customers to keep copper

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Doug Dawson (POTS & PANS) takes a look at the disadvantage to consumers when telecommunications customer cut the copper…

But there are still good policy reasons for not tearing down the networks. For many rural households, a telephone landline is the only way to reliably reach 911 or to make the daily calls needed to connect to doctors, banks, and other necessities of daily life. The FCC and state regulators have all said they support tearing down copper as long as customers have an equivalent alternative for voice. And that’s where the rub comes. The Internet is full of stories of people who have lost their copper with no alternative available. Unless a telco is replacing copper with fiber, they generally tell customers to change to wireless broadband. Everybody who lives in rural America knows that cell coverage is poor or nonexistent in much of rural America. But the lack of cell coverage doesn’t seem to be a deterrent for the big telcos that want to get rid of the copper.

People can always change to Starlink, assuming they live in a place where they don’t have to cut down a bunch of trees or put up an expensive tall pole to receive service. But this means replacing a $30 landline bill with a $130 Starlink bill. Even then, a customer has to be sophisticated enough to subscribe to a WiFi calling service through a web connection and worry about losing 911 when power goes out.

I recently read an article on Medium by Bruce Kushnick that points out another motivation for the big telcos to tear down copper. When a telco eliminates the last copper infrastructure in a state, it is theoretically no longer subject to Title II traditional regulation. The FCC and courts have rules that broadband and voice services carried across all other technologies are subject to Title I regulation as an information service.

This is a big deal that is not being talked about. Carriers subject to Title II regulation are required to offer just and reasonable rates. Title II carriers are subject to strict rules about protecting customer information. Title II carriers are subject to all sorts of rules for things like having specific rules about when and how a customer can be disconnected for nonpayment. Title II carriers are subject to mandatory obligations to interconnect with other carriers.

If a telco can change to become regulated by Title I rules, all of these regulatory obligations would go away. If a big telco could get every single customer off copper in a state, they’d have a good case to make that they are no longer subject to any Title II regulation. I’m positive that this is where AT&T and Verizon are headed. They would probably have to petition a state to make the change, but in most states they will win their argument.

EVENT Oct 5-9: Virtual Bridging the Digital Divide

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An invitation from the planners...

You’re invited! 🌉💻

Join the Colorado Adult Education Coalition (CAEC) for Bridging the Digital Divide during Digital Inclusion Week 2026

This 100% remote event brings together educators, workforce professionals, community leaders, and digital equity advocates for conversations focused on AI, digital literacy, technology access, workforce opportunities, online learning, digital equity, cybersecurity, and more.

📅 October 5–9, 2026

⏰ 8:00 AM–4:00 PM (MT)

💻 100% Remote

Together, we’re building bridges to access, skills, opportunity, equity, and brighter tomorrows.

Learn more: https://www.caeconline.org/digitaldivide

Former federal leader in Education Technology starts a conversation about tech in the classroom in the Star Tribune

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Anhil Hurkadli, former acting deputy director for the Office of Educational Technology and chief of staff for the Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development at the U.S. Department of Education, lives in Minneapolis. The Minnesota Star Tribune recently published an Opinion Piece from him on technology in the classroom…

The 2024 National Educational Technology Plan identified three digital “divides” that characterize more precisely where our intentions fall short: the digital access divide (who does or doesn’t have connectivity, content and devices); the digital-use divide (active or passive technology used to complete instructional tasks); and the digital design divide (systems providing ongoing, robust professional support to ensure all educators use technology more effectively, or not). A student, parent, educator or administrator can use this language to better pinpoint the specific issues technology is creating in their school community.

The letter goes on to offer some recommendations to students, parents, educators and district leaders. He also discussion the importance of policy…

Minnesota is exceptional in many ways, but we lag far behind as a state when it comes to educational technology policy. Gov. Tim Walz made attempts to close the digital-access divide during the pandemic, but little was done to ensure those new devices were used effectively (as teachers and parents who weathered the pandemic can attest). Since ChatGPT was released to the public in 2022, our state government and the Legislature have done little to set a unifying vision for technology or AI in education, or to provide guidance and resources to implement that vision.
We should expect that our next governor, our next commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education and our next state Legislature have informed, nuanced opinions about the issues involved and the political will to act. Thankfully, strong leadership exists at the local level. St. Cloud’s robust guidance to students, educators and families and Hopkins’ ”pedagogy over policing” approach stand out as regional exemplars.
These are collective opportunities and challenges that will take time to address, but we each play a role in solving them. Don’t spend another semester wishing someone else would do something about it. While the underlying issues may be difficult to identify (but easy to ignore), things will only get more complex. Just ask Claude how agentic AI or quantum computing will affect education.

North Minneapolis event asks how Black communities can shape the AI era

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MSR Media Group reports…

Artificial intelligence may be changing how people work, learn and create, but Dr. Elizabeth M. Adams wants Black communities to think beyond just responding to the technology.

“I would like to see us leapfrog and actually shape the future, specifically with how we engage with AI,” Adams said.

That idea was at the center of “The AI Era: What to Know and How to Use It,” a Sister Spokesman event held Saturday, Sept. 5, at the NorthPoint Conference Center in North Minneapolis.

Presented by Sister Spokesman and the Minnesota CHILL Foundation, the gathering showed attendees how AI can boost career development, entrepreneurship, and daily tasks. Panelists also addressed concerns around privacy, bias, misinformation and its use among youth.

The event’s panel featured Adams, chief engagement officer at the Minnesota Responsible AI Institute, and Chuck Hill, president of Programming Solutions Incorporated and chair of the Minnesota CHILL Foundation.

The article shares highlights from the session.

 

Paul Bunyan Communications shares their plans for Lifeline Awareness Week (Sep 7-13, 2026)

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Paul Bunyan shares their plans for Lifeline Awareness Week…

Paul Bunyan Communications and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are promoting Lifeline Awareness Week, September 7-13.
Access to local emergency services and community resources is vital to all residents. Lifeline helps low-income consumers connect to the nation’s voice and broadband networks, find jobs, access health care services, connect with family and call for help in an emergency. For some, being connected can be the difference between social connection and complete isolation.
Paul Bunyan Communications wants residents to get and stay connected and promotes Lifeline throughout the year to raise awareness about the program that provides assistance to those who need voice and/or broadband services but can’t afford it. “Digital Connectivity and Lifeline Awareness Week,” September 7-13 is another opportunity to highlight this important assistance program.
“We promote the Lifeline program a lot because want to make sure all our membership and those who live within our service area know about it and the benefit it can provide. This program can help those struggling to afford Internet services get and stay connected” said Chad Bullock, Paul Bunyan Communications CEO.
Lifeline helps low-income consumers connect to the nation’s communications networks, find jobs, access health care services, connect with family and call for help in an emergency. Under the federal Lifeline program, low-income consumers who participate in certain public assistance programs, or qualify based on income can receive a discount of up to $9.25 per month off their monthly bill for broadband, or bundled phone and broadband service, up to $5.25 for voice-only service, and up to a total of $34.25 per month for residents of qualifying Tribal lands. More information on program eligibility and rules is available at http://www.lifelinesupport.org. An American Sign Language video on Lifeline is available at

GAO recommends FCC and NTIA work more closely with underserved areas and focus on sustainability

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The GAO (Government Accountability Office reports…

Federal agencies target funding to underserved areas using FCC mapping data showing which locations do and do not have broadband access, as reported by providers. To improve data accuracy, FCC accepts challenges from the public and makes updates if needed. Some program participants and stakeholders said this challenge process was burdensome and unclear. For example, challenging a
large number of locations in an area could be difficult for smaller communities and providers with limited resources. Without targeted outreach to smaller communities and providers to address such difficulties, FCC may not be able to obtain the most accurate information about broadband availability and therefore may not be able to effectively identify and target funding to underserved areas.
As one of the largest programs focused on broadband deployment GAO reviewed, BEAD holds great potential to make broadband available to areas that have been underserved. GAO has previously reported on issues providers face in high-cost areas, including financial sustainability. In October 2025, NTIA announced a requirement that BEAD providers certify that they will not accept federal funding from other sources for broadband deployment and operations costs for locations funded by BEAD for at least 10 years. This provision is intended to ensure that BEAD projects are financially self-sustainable without additional federal funding. NTIA’s BEAD documentation for states and territories states that there may be a basis for them to request certain data from providers. However, NTIA did not detail the circumstances that could warrant such a request. By providing more details, NTIA would help states anticipate potential
problems and prevent service lapses to underserved areas when providers cannot continue providing services due to financial issues.

Getting into specifics…

Recommendations for Executive Action
Agency Affected – Federal Communications Commission
Recommendation – The Chair of FCC should conduct targeted outreach to smaller participants (such as local and tribal governments and providers), to identify and address difficulties they have experienced completing the bulk Broadband Data Collection challenge process. (Recommendation 1)

Agency Affected – National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Recommendation – The NTIA Administrator should provide information to NTIA’s partner states and territories on when and why to request additional information from BEAD subrecipients, to monitor and support their ability to remain financially sustainable in offering affordable broadband during the 10-year federal interest period. (Recommendation 2)

OPPORTUNITY: NDIA Trailblazer Applications Now Open!

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From the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA)…

NDIA is now accepting applications for the 2026 Digital Inclusion Trailblazers! Trailblazers are municipal, county, or regional governments recognized by NDIA for paving the way for excellent digital inclusion work and providing models for digitally inclusive communities committed to advancing digital equity.

“Striving for the NDIA Trailblazer indicators has helped focus and uplift our digital inclusion efforts while providing a wealth of insights from other communities to learn from. This program and our recognition have sparked new momentum and partnerships for digital equity in South Bend.” Patrick McGuire, Technology Equity Manager, City of South Bend

Apply to be a 2026 Trailblazer

DIGIDAZE in St Paul aims to boost digital confidence for attendees

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KSTP reports…

Digital literacy takes center stage at St. Paul community fair amid statewide AI changes

Community members at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center attended DIGIDAZE on Saturday, a free community technology fair designed to boost digital confidence across St. Paul.

The event, presented by the Community Technology Empowerment Project (STEP), St. Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN) and AmeriCorps, offered hands‑on activities, refurbished devices, raffles and one‑on‑one help with computers, smartphones and online tools.

“Our goal is to bridge the digital gap,” said Dasiyah Franklin‑Carter, event co-organizer. She said digital literacy is becoming essential for families navigating schoolwork, job applications and everyday communication.

“I want people to leave with more confidence with using technology,” she said.

85% of subscribers would lose service entirely without the Lifeline benefit

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The National Lifeline Association reports…

The National Lifeline Association (NaLA) is proud to release the results of our 2026 Annual Subscriber Survey. With over 83,000 responses across 20 detailed questions, this year’s data confirms a critical reality: for low-income Americans, the Lifeline program is not merely a discount—it is essential access infrastructure.

Why Lifeline Matters

As regulators and lawmakers evaluate the future of the Universal Service Fund, our survey data provides a clear picture of how Lifeline empowers households by bridging the digital divide.

Key Findings: How Subscribers Use Lifeline

Lifeline provides the connectivity necessary to improve life outcomes and access vital services:

  • Healthcare Access: 66% of subscribers use their service for telehealth appointments (phone/video) and to order medication.
  • Staying Connected: 81% rely on the service to maintain connections with family and friends.
  • Employment: 37% utilize the service for work-related activities, including working from home, applying for jobs, and managing shifts.
  • Education: 30% leverage the connection for educational purposes, such as online classes, training, and schoolwork for children.

The Reality of Affordability

Affordability remains the primary barrier to sustainable internet access.

  • 96% of subscribers report that they cannot afford any monthly service fee.
  • 85% of subscribers would lose service entirely without the Lifeline benefit, as they cannot pay the full, undiscounted price.
  • For those without home internet, the monthly bill is the most frequently cited barrier—outranking both availability and awareness.

A Mobility-First Requirement

With 91% of subscribers preferring mobile wireless service with hotspot capability over fixed broadband, it is clear that mobility is a functional requirement, not a preference, for this population.

The Path Forward

The current benefit level supports incremental use but falls short of providing the sustained connectivity needed for full, consistent access to telehealth, remote work, and coursework. Sixty-nine percent (69%) of subscribers report limiting their data use every month to avoid exhausting their allotment.

Connecting digital navigators with financial literacy skills helps build financial well-being

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Fed Communities reports...

Digital access, which is a household’s ability to fully participate in the modern economy through the use of digital technologies, is an important facet of community well-being. Digital access is essential to connecting families to broader socioeconomic opportunities, but it depends on four dimensions: the availability of providers, the speed and quality of internet service, the affordability of services, and the digital skills of the user. Research by the New York Fed has shown that rural populations, LMI communities, tribal communities, and aging populations are the least likely to live in a neighborhood with access to three or more providers offering speeds of at least 100/20 Mbps (download data at 100 megabits per second and upload data at 20 megabits per second).

Other research shows that the affordability of a broadband connection can be another barrier to internet access for LMI [Low- and moderate-income] households. LMI communities pay a notably higher share of their income for broadband and are more likely to use slower or lower-quality plans. In areas with the least affordable broadband, 26.7 percent of households rely solely on mobile devices. Although mobile access suffices for everyday banking and initial job searches, the lack of a computer and broadband restricts participation in resume building, online education, remote professional work, and long-term financial management.

The article goes on to talk about the need to connect digital navigators and financial technology and skills…

  1. Awareness: Many people working in digital inclusion don’t know about financial access tools and resources like Bank On certified accounts.
  2. Navigation capacity: Staff often aren’t trained to help with both digital and financial needs. Lockett said, “A digital navigator knows how to help someone set up an email account or apply for broadband subsidies. They may not know how to help that same person open a Bank On certified account, understand a credit report, or access mobile banking safely.”
  3. Supportive handoffs: When organizations refer people to each other, it is often a quick handoff without ongoing support. Lockett explained, “What’s needed is a trusted navigator model that maintains continuity throughout both the digital and financial access journey, rather than handing someone off and trusting things will work out.”

 

Is it AI or is it art? And how do we differentiate? The Walker is looking into it

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MPR News covers a story about art gallery patrons accusing art of being “AI slop” and The Walker figuring out what to do with that. It’s a teachable moment for everyone involved – with teachers and learners writing the curriculum in real time…

The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis is adding new explanatory language to an exhibition after visitors mistook an artist’s digitally rendered work for generative AI.

Joe Dobrow recently took his two children to the Walker. They wandered from exhibition to exhibition, eventually settling in front of a screen in a dark hallway.

The screen was looping the 2026 video “Field Recordings” by artist Olalekan Jeyifous. It is the first solo museum exhibition for the New York-based artist who is known for his immersive speculative world-building artworks. The video features realistically animated people in leafy riverine settings, sometimes in groups, sometimes with deer, sometimes tinkering with what seem like remnants of analog technology.

“My kids were fairly intrigued with it,” Dobrow said, but “it seemed to me to be almost entirely AI slop.”

Part of the solution…

The Walker, along with the rest of the museum world, is grappling with how to develop policy about the display and disclosure of AI-generated or AI-assisted art. “We are in the process of developing one,” she said.

Jasper and Huldisch said the new explanatory language for the exhibition will be installed this week.

“I recognize that AI usage raises very real ethical questions, and I understand why people want transparency around it,” Jeyifous said. “The difficulty right now is that we don’t have much nuance in the language to describe it. Saying that AI was utilized somewhere in a process can very quickly become perceived as ‘this artwork was entirely AI-generated,’ even when those are fundamentally different things. Disclosure can provide useful context, but it can also unintentionally become the lens through which the entire work is understood, regardless of how marginal that tool was to its production.”

RESEARCH: To what extent does community-level broadband connectivity reduce the time individuals spend waiting for goods and services?

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There is an interesting scholarly article (Time poverty, waiting, and broadband adoption: Evidence from the US by gender and income) on the impact of broadband access on people’s discretionary time. In a nod to time-saving, I tried to think of the most efficient way to share the information and focus on broadband access while flagging other related topics in the article.

Here’s the promise of the research, in bullet points…

  • Time poverty, or the lack of time to invest in discretionary activities aimed at maintaining one’s physical or mental well-being, has long been a human concern (Kalenkoski & Hamrick, 2013; Vickery, 1977).
  • We examine waiting time because, differently from time devoted to other activities, which may reflect personal preferences, waiting time is almost universally disliked and has no intrinsic benefit (Holt & Vinopal, 2023; Schwartz, 1974).
  • Through this lens, high-speed broadband connections constitute a critical first step in efforts to expand communities’ access to goods and services, minimize waiting, and free up time for more fulfilling activities (Turner & Grieco, 2000).
  • Our analysis finds a significant association between living in counties with higher broadband adoption levels and reduced time spent waiting for goods and services. The effect is particularly pronounced among women, who are disproportionately responsible for time-intensive, unpaid household labor (Brenan, 2020). Yet, we also suggest that complementary policy interventions may be necessary to mitigate time disparities across socio-economic lines.

And a look at ROI (when return in time) from a government/citizen perspective…

Addressing waiting-based inefficiencies calls for targeted solutions, and broadband and digital technologies offer one. To this extent, tax return–free filing programs that integrate administrative data could save Americans an estimated 225 million hours annually, while online voter registration cuts administrative burdens and boosts turnout by reducing long heavy processes (Goolsbee, 2006; Herd & Moynihan, 2018). Similarly, remote work saves the average person 72 min of commuting each day, allowing individuals to reallocate time to leisure and caregiving (Aksoy et al., 2023).

Yet, these time-saving gains hinge on both the provision of digital services online and citizens being able to take advantage of those through reliable internet connections (Mossberger et al., 2022). Consequently, broadband operates as the foundational infrastructure enabling both the delivery and use of digital services. In other words, lacking broadband, citizens, businesses, and governments cannot effectively use online services while digital service provision becomes impractical.

Recognizing this, federal and state policymakers in the United States have invested significantly in digital infrastructure – most notably through the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the American Rescue Plan Act – to extend broadband to every household. These place-based strategies reflect a growing understanding that broadband is not just a technological solution, but a foundational element of equitable service delivery and local development. As such, we argue that, similarly to other place-based characteristics, broadband adoption can shape individual outcomes through institutions, resources, and community dynamics (Chyn & Katz, 2021)

And their hypotheses:

  • As broadband subscriptions increase within a county, the amount of time residents spend waiting for goods and services decreases.
  • The negative relationship between county-level broadband adoption and waiting times is stronger among women than among men.
  • The negative relationship between county-level broadband adoption and waiting times is stronger among low-income individuals than among higher-income individuals.
  • The negative relationship between county-level broadband adoption and waiting times is strongest among low-income women.

Understanding the privacy and security implications of interacting with AI

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Axios has a series that I think is helpful to share with folks around you to help them recognize and understand various features of AI. You can bring it up at your next family picnic or share with friends and family as a reminder about the importance of online privacy…

Imagine a chatbot built to keep you talking a little longer. To change your mind about something. Or persuade you to buy something.

  • Now imagine it could draw on everything it knows about you — including the fears, insecurities and private details you shared in conversation — to do it.

Why it matters: Few rules directly govern that scenario today, making AI companies’ promises about how they use consumer data especially consequential.

The big picture: In the first installment of Axios’ “What they know about you” series, published in 2019, we examined the information major tech companies collected about their users. In 2024, we followed up with a look at what consumer data AI companies use to train their systems.

  • This new series revisits those questions — and widens the lens. We’ll examine not only whether a company uses consumer data to train future AI models, but also how it can use that data now: to personalize responses, retain a memory, recommend content or target advertising.

Minnesota teen speaks about experience creating a national artificial intelligence policy

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MPR interviewed a student who was part of a national group creating a national artificial intelligence policy. It is a great look at what’s happening with AI and the views of schools and youth on using AI. It’s a reminder of the importance of digital literacy. Here’s a description of the interview, you can listen to it online…

This upcoming school year, districts across the country have a new tool they can use: A national artificial intelligence policy. It was created in July by 98 teens, representing all 50 states.

They gathered in Boston for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Day of AI, created a mock senate and drafted and passed their own legislation that helps schools navigate artificial intelligence. Representing Minnesota were students and staff from St. Cloud.

St. Cloud Tech High School student Bihmanji Acho and Principal Molly Kensy joined Minnesota Now to share more about the experience.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.