Paul Garnett of the Vernonburg Group and Deborah Lathen of Lathen Consulting recently released A Handbook for the Effective Administration of State and Local Digital Equity Partnerships, which is intended to serve as a resource to states as they develop their digital equity plans. This Handbook is modeled on the Vernonburg Group’s successful broadband deployment handbook released last year. Summary The new Digital Equity Handbook advances the following arguments: The broadband adoption gap is far greater than broadband availability gap and disproportionately impacts historically marginalized communities. Broadband adoption gaps impact different groups, communities, and individuals differently, so localized and individualized assessments and interventions are needed to truly address digital inequities. Policymakers should focus on those in greatest need. The Handbook lays out best practices for state and local policymakers to ensure that digital equity programs and interventions are equitable by design. The Handbook recommends digital skilling programs and digital navigators as critical components for helping nonadopters overcome a range of barriers to adoption. Comcast has been committed to digital equity for over a decade and continue to be a leader in this space through Project UP – our $1 billion commitment to digital equity.
