Seniors/Aging Individuals

Three years since the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) first introduced the “digital navigator” model. The first NDIA Digital Navigator Working Group met in April 2020 and worked quickly, with the pandemic and lockdown fueling the urgency to solve digital inequities.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will regularly post Digital Equity plans on this website. If you’re unsure about when your state’s digital equity plan will be available for public comment, we recommend bookmarking the link and checking it frequently. The public comment period is a mandatory step in the State Digital Equity Plan process that solicits a public response and comments on the draft plan. To know when to expect your

Susan Corbett, the founder of Maine’s National Digital Equity Center (NDEC), lives in one of America’s most remote rural regions. The population density is under 10 people per square mile. She knows first-hand how fast her community can tumble without a safety net. When the pandemic’s shelter-in-place order went into effect in 2020, Corbett and her team witnessed the severe isolation and loneliness of many elderly people in her community. The Digital Equity Center responded quickly.

The Montana Broadband Office's Digital Opportunity Plan will guide the state’s efforts to narrow the digital divide and provide all Montanans with affordable high-speed broadband, adequate access to devices, and the digital skills necessary to access the internet and its many services. The state's plan serves as a guide to Montana's work toward universal broadband.

Utah continues working to close the state's digital divide. On June 20, 2023, the Utah Broadband Center released its draft State Digital Equity Plan in conjunction with its Digital Connectivity Plan. Both plans will help guide the allocation of federal funding to the state for broadband access and adoption expansion over the next five years. Here, we take a look at Utah's digital equity plan.

The Utah Broadband Center (UBC), part of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, asks for public feedback on the drafts of the Utah Digital Connectivity Plan and Digital Equity Plan. Comments can be submitted online through July 6, 2023. The Utah Digital Connectivity Plan and Digital Equity Plan highlight Utah’s vision, goals, objectives, and strategies to help get all Utahns connected to affordable high-speed broadband internet and access to the tools and resources needed to succeed in the digital world.

Powered by a contribution from AT&T, the Public Library Association (PLA) has selected more than 200 public libraries across 45 states to host digital literacy and Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) workshops.

This month, the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) released the state's draft Broadband Action Plan, which provides a roadmap for Maine's progress toward digital equity moving forward. The plan envisions a Maine where everyone, especially those traditionally underserved and facing more barriers to being connected, can take full advantage of the economic, educational, health, civic, social and other benefits that reliable, affordable, high-speed broadband can provide.

As states act to capitalize on federal broadband funding, Louisiana has been leading the way.

Maine faces a perfect storm of challenges in achieving digital equity. Our remote and rugged terrain makes our state one of the most difficult and expensive to reach with digital infrastructure. As the oldest state in the nation, we have a significant population that didn’t grow up with all of the technology available today. Maine’s median household and per capita income lag behind most other states. Almost all of us live in small, rural communities with limited resources. These forces combine to shape the contours of the digital divide in Maine.