The California Department of Technology (CDT) will host a webinar Friday on the draft State Digital Equity Plan, which “aims to close the digital divide for millions of California residents who do not have access to adequate broadband Internet service, devices or the skills to utilize the Internet.”
The hourlong webinar begins at 11 a.m. and will explain how the public and stakeholders can comment on the plan, which may be viewed online.
“To make the plan a reality, the State of California is asking every resident to leave a public comment on the draft” by the Jan. 25 deadline, CDT says in its announcement about the webinar. “The plan will position the state to receive an allocation of Digital Equity Capacity Grants, funded by the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, that will help close the digital divide for good.”
In the announcement, California’s chief information officer and CDT director, Liana Bailey-Crimmins, describes the plan as “a huge leap forward in our efforts to close the digital divide in California. By combining the invaluable input of our residents, partners, and stakeholders with strategic planning, we are positioning the state to secure essential Digital Equity Capacity Grants and creating a highly informed roadmap to eliminate the digital divide once and for all.”
The draft is the result of numerous inputs, including extensive public surveys, 20 in-person workshops across the state, and the work of the Statewide Digital Equity Planning Group and six Area Working Groups. State residents and digital equity leaders provided feedback on key areas such as education, health, digital inclusion, workforce and economic development, essential services and accessibility, and tribal collaboration.
The completion of those surveys, CDT said, “qualifies California for an era-changing Digital Equity Capacity Grant when the Capacity Grant Notice of Funding Opportunity becomes available,” tentatively expected in April. “It also enables California to create an extremely informed plan to tackle its digital divide for good, further seeding its status as a leader in the nation.”
