Arkansas State Broadband Office launches survey and community engagement effort to build Digital Skills and Opportunity Plan

The Arkansas State Broadband Office (ASBO) recently launched its Digital Skills and Opportunity Survey as part of the state’s larger planning process to better understand the complexities of the digital divide. As part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that Congress passed in 2021, Arkansas received more than $840,000 to study the state’s digital divide, create a plan to address its digital skills gap, and learn more about the unique challenges that stand in the way of various segments of the state’s population affording and using high-speed internet. This comes on top of an additional $5 million investment to create a five-year action plan for internet access. The ASBO is overseeing all work related to the development of both plans and is committed to expanding access to affordable, high-speed internet to all Arkansans. To ensure the agency engages with all segments of the population, the office has contracted with Heartland Forward, a Bentonville-based nonprofit organization, to coordinate engagement with Arkansas counties, mayors, community members, and other key stakeholders across the state – such as members of the Arkansas Connectivity Coalition including the University of Arkansas, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, Winrock International, Communities Unlimited and the Arkansas Black Mayors Association. These partners are working with the ASBO to conduct focus groups, along with other information-gathering efforts, that will inform the state’s final plan.