Policy Brief: Advancing Digital Equity
By Jacob Sitati, Director of Policy & Advocacy
Towards the end of September, it was announced that all 50 states would soon be getting small ($500K-$2 million or so) Planning Grants to help them conduct their 12-month State Digital Equity Planning processes. The federal National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) promised to get all those grants out the door to states by September 29[1]. Louisiana, which was first, received roughly $900K for its Digital Equity Planning Grant (and another few million for its BEAD planning grant).[2]
In early October, the City of Chicago released a Request for Information seeking recommendations on leveraging public assets and funds to increase broadband access in its least connected communities. Responses were encouraged from internet builders, operators, and investors, in addition to non-profits and philanthropic foundations interested in supporting innovative broadband connectivity solutions. The City also welcomed joint responses between the private sector and non-profit organizations that identify creative ways for different sectors to solve the shared goal of ending the digital divide[3].
At Chicago Jobs Council (CJC), we believe that Digital Equity, defined by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) as “a condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy[4],” creates conditions where every learner and community can fully access and leverage the technology needed for full participation in learning, the economy, and society at large. To succeed in this rapidly transforming environment, workers need broad-based digital problem-solving skills that equip them to learn a wide variety of today’s technologies and navigate continued changes in the future. This digital literacy includes the capacity to use technology and the cognitive skills necessary to navigate it successfully.
This lack of skills has wide-ranging consequences, hampering workers’ economic mobility and security while also holding back the productivity and economic competitiveness of the U.S. companies that employ them. Workers of color are disproportionately affected by digital skill gaps compared to their white peers, largely due to structural factors resulting from longstanding inequities in American society, such as income and wealth gaps and uneven access to high-quality K-12 education. Historically, public policy decisions played a key role in racial inequities in educational attainment, employment, and wages among American workers. Policies also have helped create the systems that shape access and outcomes in postsecondary education and training for people of color. Therefore, public policies must now be integral to addressing digital skill gaps for workers of color.[5]
At CJC, we believe that Digital Equity in Workforce Development is critical to providing equitable pathways and sustainable financial outcomes through good jobs. CJC takes a leading role and encourages advocates in the workforce development ecosystem to ensure that their state’s digital equity efforts are closely connected to broader education and workforce goals; that they are reaching key populations such as rural communities and people of color; and that they are helping individuals and businesses build resiliency in the face of continued rapid technological change.
According to research by the National Skills Coalition, nearly one in three workers in the United States have few or no digital skills. At least 38 percent of those workers are employed in jobs requiring moderate or advanced computer users. This skills gap creates talent and growth issues for businesses of all sizes — from large companies looking to grow and invest in the United States to small and mid-size companies that employ the greatest share of workers with low or no digital skills but require a more digitally-skilled workforce to remain competitive.[6] Rapid digitization of the economy and the recent pandemic has also exacerbated the digital divide – defined here as the gap between individuals who have access to broadband, connected devices and digital skills and those who do not. This gap creates barriers to equitable economic participation for workers and their families and poses major risks to economic stability and resiliency at the household, community and state levels. Equipping workers and adult learners (especially those from historically underserved populations) with the digital skills required to succeed in high-quality jobs now and in the future and access critical workforce services such as unemployment insurance systems and online job postings is a growing imperative for state workforce systems.[7]
The Federal government wants to help states develop innovative, long-term plans to close digital skills gaps, meet employers’ talent needs and develop a more resilient workforce in the face of digital transformation. At the federal level, investments in digital equity through the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA) provide unprecedented resources for states to advance digital skills and take full advantage of expanded broadband connectivity. To be fully prepared, The Workforce Development ecosystem needs to be aware of the following:
The bipartisan infrastructure law passed by Congress in 2021 included major new investments for states via the Digital Equity Act. Now, as the implementation of this powerful $2.75 billion legislation gets underway, state and local leaders should take advantage of this once-in-a-generation opportunity.
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will release Notices of Funding Opportunities via the Grants.gov website. Stay informed by subscribing to the NTIA’s Broadband USA newsletter. E-mail broadbandusa@ntia.gov to be added to the list.
State digital equity planning grants will be overseen by an administering entity selected by the Governor in each state. This administering entity could be a state agency such as a department of education, department of labor, or broadband office, or another type of entity, as long as it fits the criteria outlined in Digital Equity Act Section 60304(b)(2).
The legislation lists several elements that states must include in their Digital Equity Plans. Examples of items that states are required to include are:
Identification of barriers to digital equity faced by covered populations in the state.
Measurable objectives for documenting and promoting, for each covered population, a variety of factors, including broadband internet access and affordability; digital device availability and affordability; digital literacy; and the online accessibility and inclusivity of public resources and services.
An assessment of how those objectives will impact and interact with (among other factors) the state’s economic and workforce development goals, plans, and outcomes.
A description of how the state plans to collaborate with key stakeholders. States must also make their draft Digital Equity Plans available for public comment for 30 days. Full details on the statutory requirements can be found in the Digital Equity Act Section 60304(c).[8]
References:
[1] National Skills Coalition bulletin
[2] https://www.ntia.doc.gov/press-release/2022/biden-harris-administration-awards-29-million-louisiana-first-internet-all
[3] ChicagoBroadbandEquityRFI.PDF
[4] https://www.digitalinclusion.org/definitions/
[5] National Skills Coalition-Digital Skills Racial Equity
[6] https://www.nga.org/center/publications/lessons-learned-in-workforce-innovation-how-six-states-are-planning-to-advance-digital-skills-for-equitable-economic-participation/
[7] https://www.nga.org/center/publications/lessons-learned-in-workforce-innovation-how-six-states-are-planning-to-advance-digital-skills-for-equitable-economic-participation/
[8] National Skills Coalition