Broadband Adoption | Mesa, Arizona

The Mesa, Arizona community is taking major steps to bridge the digital divide for residents across their community. Although Arizona has begun to see a decline in their COVID-19 cases, the municipal government, school district, and community leaders continue to take decisive action to ensure that every household has access to technology and the internet for as long as stay at home orders remain in place. Mesa’s specific focus on their student population is a method adopted by many communities across the country. This vehicle, as opposed to a focus on other populations, allows the issue to become relevant for a wider spread of community members by activating an appeal to parents, educators, and those concerned about the future workforce. Notably, the work being done in Mesa reveals the untapped power of municipal governments and school districts working in concert to develop comprehensive connectivity plans. When Mesa received federal funding from the CARES Act, they could have acted to bolster city services, but instead recognized greater investment potential in the school system.