This resource from NDIA details its digital inclusion policy priorities for 2021-2022, which it believes would make significant progress in advancing digital equity. The policy recommendations are to make broadband affordable for everyone in the United States, to fund and support community-based digital inclusion programs, fund and invest in progressive digital skills pathways, and increase accesses to devices for everyone.

This resource reports on the state of broadband access, device use, and uses of the internet by Tribal communities on Tribal lands.

This guidebook offers strategies and recommendations for developing digital inclusion programs that address affordable internet access, affordable devices, digital literacy training, technology support, and applications and content development.

In this commentary, Rachel Hirsch and Jake Varn argue that the aftermath of the COVID19 pandemic has made clear how vital postsecondary education is in helping people achieve and maintain financial stability, therefore postsecondary institutions have a critical role in expanding affordable broadband access and closing the digital divide.

This resource announces the $20 million investment into DigitalC from Project OVERCOME, the National Science Foundation, and Schmidt Futures. DigitalC provides some of the highest wireless bandwidths to homes in Greater Cleveland’s unserved and underserved areas, along with training and access to devices. The grant will help expand capacity to provide access and accelerate adoption of broadband connectivity infrastructure throughout the city.

In this resource, Pew Research Center explores the patterns and trends of the mobile revolution, showing how the methods used to access the internet have changed since the early 2000s.

This resource shares results of a Pew Research Center survey exploring how broadband adoption and computer ownership vary by race and ethnicity in the U.S. It finds that Black and Hispanic adults in the United States remain less likely than White adults to say they own a traditional computer or have high-speed internet at home, but there are no racial and ethnic differences when it comes to other devices, such as smartphones and tablets.

An article analyzing the digital divide between rural, urban, and suburban America, showing that rural adults remain less likely than suburban adults to have home broadband and less likely than urban adults to own a smartphone, tablet computer or traditional computer. The author puts forth potential reasons for these findings.

Pew Research Center explores survey data about how smartphone ownership and home broadband subscriptions have increased among American adults since 2019. The survey also shows that some have problems connecting to the internet at home, some are smartphone-dependent, and some without home broadband have no interest in having home broadband in the future.

‍

This resource shares results of a Pew Research Center survey that explores the disproportionate relationship between people with disabilities and digital device ownership and use.

This blog discusses various issues surrounding broadband connection in Native Nations, complete with examples. It argues that there is no singular prescriptive fix that will connect all Native Nations, but rather federal, state, and local governments must work with Native Nations to achieve broadband connectivity that fits their respective communities, with Indigenous people directly involved in the creation and implementation of programs designed to create solutions to meet their unique needs.

This research brief derives data from the Common Sense Census, which reveal that children of color have been far more likely to experience disruptions in learning due to a lack of digital access than white students. The results of the study also illustrate the economic inequality in education that was exacerbated by the pandemic.