State Digital Equity Plan approved
Mar. 28—The Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration accepted Hawaii's 293-page Digital Equity Plan on Tuesday after it underwent federal review.
The Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration accepted Hawaii's 293-page Digital Equity Plan on Tuesday after it underwent federal review.
The Digital Equity Act—part of the Internet for All initiative included in President Biden's Investing in America Agenda—provides $2.75 billion to establish three grant programs that promote digital equity and inclusion.
The plan was developed by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism and the Hawaii Broadband and Digital Equity Office.
The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism's strategic broadband coordinator Chung Chang told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in February that he noticed a digital divide during the pandemic, when daily life transitioned to remote work and virtual learning.
"Addressing the digital divide, which persists due to inadequate affordable internet services or limited access to laptops and computers, is a pressing community concern in Hawaii and across our nation, " Chang said in a February statement. "The plan and eventual funding are intended to tackle the issue of digital inequality which disproportionately affects our most vulnerable and underserved populations, particularly those in rural communities and facing socio-economic disadvantages."
Chang also told the Star-Advertiser he prioritizes providing digital devices to individuals in need, expanding access to telehealth serv ices in rural areas and working with hubs that already service neighborhoods, such as social organizations to expand digital services into their communities.
"The program aims to ensure that all people and communities have the skills, technology, and capacity needed to reap the full benefits of our digital economy, " NTIA said in a statement.
The Digital Equity Plan allows the state to also implement community-specific programs, for example for kupuna who want basic internet access for emails or internet browsing ; or employees who need advanced internet access for teleworking.
Hawaii created a plan with over $570, 000 from the state Digital Equity Planning Grant Program to address disparities in digital access, skills and affordability across the state.
Former Gov. David Ige signed a bill into law in 2021, which supports deploying high speed internet access throughout the state and work toward statewide digital equity.
The Hawaii Broadband and Digital Equity Office began working on the Digital Equity Plan in April 2023 and published its initial draft—with input from both quantitative reports and qualitative public outreach efforts—at the end of September 2023.
All 50 states, including D.C. and Puerto Rico, submitted their Digital Equity Plans to NTIA for approval, which NTIA continues to accept on a rolling basis.
NTIA will launch the $1.44 billion Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program over the next few months.
