[1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Digital Equity Act of 2019

Thu Apr 11 10:45:31 PDT 2019

Just released.
There will be lots of follow-on news postings about this.
RL

> Begin forwarded message:
> FROM: "Clements, Hart (Murray)" <Hart_Clements at murray.senate.gov>
> 
> SUBJECT: RE: SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDANCE: DIGITAL EQUITY ACT OF 2019
> 
> DATE: April 11, 2019 at 1:28:13 PM EDT
> 
> _UNITED STATES SENATE
> 
> For Immediate Release
> Thursday, April 11th, 2019
> Contact:
> Michael J. Brewer(Murray)
> 
> SENATOR MURRAY, SENATE DEMOCRATS INTRODUCE NEW LEGISLATION TO TACKLE
> NATIONWIDE DIGITAL EQUITY GAP_
> _ _
> _Led by Senator Murray, Senate Democrats introduced the _Digital
> Equity Act of 2019_to help close the digital divide impacting
> communities across the nation_
> _ _
> _The _Digital Equity Act_ builds on recent efforts to increase access
> to broadband by prioritizing “digital inclusion”—activities that
> seek to provide individuals and communities with the skills, supports,
> and technologies necessary to take full advantage of a broadband
> internet connection when they have one_
> _ _
> _Legislation creates two new $125M grant programs aimed at
> promoting#DigitalEquityNow [1] and supporting digital inclusion
> programs for students, families, and workers_
> _ _
> _Pew Research Center__: “Nearly one-in-five teens can’t always
> finish their homework because of the digital divide” – MORE HERE
> [2]_
> _ _
> _Learn more from Senator Murray’s new Medium Post: _“Why We Need
> the Digital Equity Act” – LINK [3]
> _ _
> _ _
> WASHINGTON, D.C. – Led by U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the top
> Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP)
> Committee, today a group of Senate Democrats introduced new
> legislation aimed at closing the growing digital divide in communities
> across the country. The _Digital Equity Act of 2019 [4]_ creates new
> federal investments targeted toward a diverse array of projects at the
> state and local level that promote “digital equity”— a concept
> defined by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance as the “condition
> in which all individuals and communities have the information
> technology capacity needed for full participation in our society,
> democracy and economy.” The legislation was cosponsored by Senators
> Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Angus King (I-ME), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Amy
> Klobuchar (D-MN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris
> Van Hollen (D-MD), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Jack Reed (D-RI), and a
> companion bill will also be introduced in the House of
> Representatives.
> 
> _“FOR SO MANY OF US, HAVING A RELIABLE BROADBAND CONNECTION IS A
> GIVEN—WE USE THE INTERNET TO PAY BILLS, DO OUR TAXES, BOOK TRAVEL,
> DO HOMEWORK, AND MUCH MORE. WE CAN DO IT ON OUR OWN TIME, IN OUR OWN
> HOMES—EVEN FROM OUR PHONES. BUT FOR FAR TOO MANY INDIVIDUALS AND
> FAMILIES—INCLUDING THOSE FROM COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, PEOPLE WITH
> DISABILITIES, LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS, AND RURAL COMMUNITIES—GETTING
> ONLINE ISN’T SO EASY TO DO, AND I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT IN 2019, WE
> SHOULDN’T BE A COUNTRY OF HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS WHEN IT COMES TO USING
> THE INTERNET,” __said__ __Senator Murray.__ “THAT’S WHY I’M
> PROUD TO JOIN WITH MY DEMOCRATIC COLLEAGUES TO INTRODUCE THE __DIGITAL
> EQUITY ACT__, WHICH WILL DIRECT SIGNIFICANT NEW FEDERAL INVESTMENTS TO
> HELP ENSURE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITIES HAVE THE TOOLS, SUPPORT, AND
> TECHNOLOGIES NECESSARY TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF A BROADBAND
> CONNECTION WHEN THEY HAVE ACCESS TO ONE. CONGRESS CAN AND SHOULD HELP
> STATES, COUNTIES, TRIBES, AND OTHERS DO MORE TO CLOSE THE GROWING
> DIGITAL DIVIDE, AND THE __DIGITAL EQUITY ACT__ IS A MAJOR STEP IN THE
> RIGHT DIRECTION. IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO FOR FAMILIES, AND IT’S
> THE RIGHT THING TO DO FOR OUR ECONOMY TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS
> REACHING THEIR FULL POTENTIAL.”_
> 
> _“THE INTERNET IMPACTS EVERY ASPECT OF OUR DAY-TO-DAY LIVES, FROM
> CONDUCTING BUSINESS TO PURSUING AN EDUCATION TO CONNECTING WITH
> FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES. PUT SIMPLY: IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOL FOR
> ANYONE TRYING TO PARTICIPATE IN 21ST CENTURY LIFE,”_ said Senator
> King. _“AND IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO SIMPLY HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET;
> YOU ALSO NEED TO KNOW HOW TO USE IT. BY MAKING THESE INVESTMENTS IN
> DIGITAL EQUITY AND DIGITAL INCLUSION, WE CAN ENSURE AMERICANS OF ALL
> AGES AND BACKGROUNDS ARE FLUENT IN THE TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL DRIVE SO
> MUCH OF OUR NATION’S FUTURE.”_
> 
> _“THE INTERNET IS A POWERFUL TOOL THAT HAS BECOME INSTRUMENTAL IN
> ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL MOBILITY AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. IN 2009, HAWAII
> CAPITALIZED ON FUNDS MADE AVAILABLE UNDER THE AMERICAN RECOVERY AND
> REINVESTMENT ACT TO EXPAND BROADBAND TO SCHOOLS AND PUBLIC COMPUTER
> CENTERS, MAKING IT ONE OF THE MOST-CONNECTED STATES IN THE COUNTRY.
> BUT PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IS ONLY PART OF THE EQUATION,”_ said
> Senator Hirono. _“THE _DIGITAL EQUITY ACT_ WILL PROVIDE GRANTS FOR
> THINGS LIKE DIGITAL LITERACY AND DIGITAL SKILLS EDUCATION TO
> LOW-INCOME POPULATIONS AND IMPROVING THE ONLINE ACCESSIBILITY OF
> SOCIAL SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES THAT WILL ALLOW THE
> PEOPLE OF HAWAII TO MAKE FULL USE OF WHAT BROADBAND HAS TO OFFER. ONLY
> THEN CAN THEY FULLY PARTICIPATE IN OUR SOCIETY, DEMOCRACY, AND
> ECONOMY.”_
> 
> _“MORE AND MORE, WE RELY ON THE INTERNET TO HELP US PARTICIPATE IN
> OUR DEMOCRACY AND TAKE PART IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY. EXPANDING ACCESS TO
> THE DIGITAL WORLD WILL HELP COMBAT INEQUALITY, INCREASE TRANSPARENCY
> IN OUR INSTITUTIONS, AND HELP CITIZENS HOLD THEIR GOVERNMENT
> ACCOUNTABLE. THAT’S WHY I’M PLEASED TO SUPPORT THE DIGITAL EQUITY
> ACT,”_ said Senator Whitehouse.
> _ _
> _“AS WE RELY MORE ON TECHNOLOGY IN OUR EVERYDAY LIVES, WE HAVE TO
> MAKE SURE THAT EVERY FAMILY HAS ACCESS TO BROADBAND, REGARDLESS OF
> THEIR ZIP CODE. THIS LEGISLATION WILL HELP CLOSE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
> AND BRING HIGH-SPEED INTERNET TO COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTY,”_
> said Senator Klobuchar.
> 
> _“ACCESS TO BROADBAND INTERNET SERVICE IS LITERALLY TRANSFORMATIVE.
> WITH BROADBAND, STUDENTS CAN ACCESS VAST EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES,
> FAMILIES REMAIN CONNECTED, CITIZENS ENGAGE THEIR REPRESENTATIVES, AND
> BUSINESSES REACH NEW CUSTOMERS,”_ said Senator Blumenthal. _“FOR
> FAR TOO LONG, THE DIGITAL DIVIDE HAS LEFT BEHIND THOSE OVERLOOKED AND
> UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES THAT WOULD BENEFIT MOST FROM BROADBAND. OUR
> BILL WOULD INVEST MUCH-NEEDED RESOURCES IN OUR BROADBAND
> INFRASTRUCTURE – SPURRING GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND HELPING TO
> LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD FOR ALL AMERICANS.”_
> 
> _“BROADBAND IS THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE 21ST CENTURY—IT ISN’T
> JUST NICE, IT’S NECESSARY IF WE’RE GOING TO BUILD AN ECONOMY THAT
> WORKS FOR EVERYONE,” _said Senator Smith. _“THIS BILL REPRESENTS A
> POSITIVE STEP FORWARD IN THAT DIRECTION, ENSURING THAT TRADITIONALLY
> OVERLOOKED COMMUNITIES ARE NOT LEFT BEHIND IN OUR EFFORTS TO PROVIDE
> AFFORDABLE AND RELIABLE INTERNET SERVICE TO ALL MINNESOTANS AND OTHER
> AMERICANS.”_
> _ _
> _“FROM STUDENTS COMPLETING HOMEWORK TO PEOPLE OF ALL AGES APPLYING
> ONLINE FOR JOBS, BROADBAND INTERNET PLAYS A CRUCIAL ROLE IN A
> COMMUNITY’S GROWTH AND ECONOMY. EXPANDING ACCESS TO BROADBAND WILL
> HELP CREATE MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR MARYLANDERS, AND WILL MOVE OUR STATE
> FORWARD ON CLOSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE. I’M PROUD TO JOIN MY
> COLLEAGUES IN INTRODUCING THIS COMMON-SENSE LEGISLATION, AND I WILL
> CONTINUE WORKING TO EXPAND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL,” _said
> Senator Van Hollen.__
> 
> According to the Pew Research Center [2], nearly one in five teenagers
> in the U.S. say they have been unable to complete homework assignments
> due to lack of a reliable internet connection. The digital divide,
> also sometimes referred to as the “homework gap” as it applies to
> students, exacerbates existing wealth and income gaps in our
> communities; subsequently, many people—including those from
> communities of color, people with disabilities, low-income households,
> and rural communities, overwhelmingly impacted by the digital skills
> gap—are at risk of being left behind in an increasingly
> technology-driven world, absent intervention. To that end, the
> _Digital Equity Act of 2019_ strengthens federal support for efforts
> to help ensure students, families, and workers have the information
> technology capacity needed to fully participate in society by creating
> an annual $125 million formula grant program for all 50 States, the
> District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico to fund the creation and
> implementation of comprehensive digital equity plans in each State, as
> well as an additional annual $125 million competitive grant program to
> support digital equity projects undertaken by individual groups,
> coalitions, or communities of interest. Finally, the legislation tasks
> the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
> with evaluating digital equity projects and providing policymakers at
> the local, state, and federal levels with detailed information about
> which projects are most effective.
> _ _
> _“I BELIEVE THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THE CONNECTED. NO MATTER WHO YOU
> ARE OR WHERE YOU LIVE IN THIS COUNTRY, YOU NEED ACCESS TO MODERN
> COMMUNICATIONS TO HAVE A FAIR SHOT AT 21ST CENTURY SUCCESS. BUT TODAY
> MILLIONS OF AMERICAN LACK THE BROADBAND ACCESS THAT THEY NEED TO
> MEANINGFULLY PARTICIPATE IN THE DIGITAL AGE. THAT MEANS TOO MANY
> STUDENTS FALL INTO THE HOMEWORK GAP, UNABLE TO COMPLETE SCHOOL
> ASSIGNMENTS THAT REQUIRE HIGH-SPEED INTERNET SERVICE. IT MEANS THAT
> TOO MANY SMALL BUSINESSES WILL NOT HAVE THE WORK FORCE WITH THE SKILLS
> NECESSARY TO COMPETE IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY. IT MEANS THAT TOO MANY
> COMMUNITIES WILL GO WITHOUT THE CIVIC AND COMMERCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE
> THAT IS NEEDED TO THRIVE AND GROW. SO THANK YOU TO SENATOR MURRAY FOR
> THIS LEGISLATION WHICH THOUGHTFULLY ADDRESSES DIGITAL EQUITY AND SEEKS
> TO EXPAND TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL,”__ said Federal
> Communications Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. _
> _ _
> _“LOCAL AND STATE LEADERSHIP DRIVE MOST EFFORTS TO BRING PEOPLE
> ONLINE WITH AFFORDABLE INTERNET ACCESS AND TRAINING.  ON THE ONE HAND,
> THIS IS FABULOUS BECAUSE TRUSTED COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS ARE ESSENTIAL
> TO EFFECTIVE DIGITAL INCLUSION WORK. ON THE OTHER HAND, FINANCIAL
> SUPPORT OF LOCAL DIGITAL INCLUSION WORK IS SORELY LACKING. THE DIGITAL
> EQUITY ACT RECOGNIZES THE VALUE OF LOCAL TRUSTED INSTITUTIONS WHILE
> ALLOCATING FINANCIAL SUPPORT. NDIA AND OUR 350 AFFILIATES IN 41 STATES
> FULLY SUPPORT THE DIGITAL EQUITY ACT AND LOOK FORWARD TO ITS
> PASSAGE,”__ said National Digital Inclusion Alliance Executive
> Director Angela Siefer. _
> 
> The _Digital Equity Act of 2019_ is endorsed by: Alliance for
> Community Media, American Library Association, Asian Americans
> Advancing Justice, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities,
> Broadband Connects America, Center for Law and Social Policy, Center
> for Media Justice, Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, Coalition
> on Adult Basic Education, Common Cause, Consortium for School
> Networking, Competitive Carriers Association, Free Press Action Fund,
> International Society for Technology in Education, National
> Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, National
> Coalition for Literacy, National Collaborative for Digital Equity,
> National Congress of American Indians, National Consumer Law Center on
> behalf of their low-income clients, National Digital Inclusion
> Alliance, National Hispanic Media Coalition, National League of
> Cities, National Parent Teacher Association, New America's Open
> Technology Institute, Next Century Cities, NTEN, Public Knowledge,
> Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, State Educational
> Technology Directors Association, and the Urban Libraries Council.
> 
> READ THE BILL TEXT HERE [4].
> 
> FIND MORE BACKGROUND ON THE _DIGITAL EQUITY ACT_ HERE [5].
> 
> FIND A SECTION-BY-SECTION BREAKDOWN OF THE _DIGITAL EQUITY ACT_ HERE
> [6].
> 
> ###

Links:
------
[1] https://twitter.com/PattyMurray/status/1116385656652095488
[2] 
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/10/26/nearly-one-in-five-teens-cant-always-finish-their-homework-because-of-the-digital-divide/
[3] 
https://medium.com/@PattyMurray/why-we-need-the-digital-equity-act-bce13eed8345
[4] 
https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/90396474-445b-427f-bc4d-547031680f1f/ehf19276.pdf
[5] 
https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/66a6378c-3c13-48d4-8e9d-a44c7460ec99/041019-digital-equity-act-one-pager-final.pdf
[6] 
https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/fbdd7683-bf18-4454-82c8-33a83145c1b1/041019-digital-equity-act-section-by-section-final.pdf

---------------------------------------------------------------
Richard Lowenberg, Executive Director
1st-Mile Institute     505-603-5200
Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504,
rl at 1st-mile.org     www.1st-mile.org
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