A community-centered approach to closing the digital divide
About
Where someone lives or their identity should not be predictors of whether they have internet access, devices, or digital skills. Our goal is to expand affordable, reliable, high-speed internet for all.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, in 2020, 45,831 Travis County households did not have internet subscriptions and 16,553 Travis County pre-K through 12th grade enrolled students did not have computers or internet subscriptions. National and local data also shows repeated patterns of inequitable digital access for those with lower income levels, people of color, elders, unemployed, lower educational attainment, and disabilities.
The National Digital Inclusion Alliance defines digital equity as “when all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy.”
Get Involved
Travis County and the City of Austin are conducting a study to better understand the needs, barriers, and assets available for digital access, prioritizing low-income communities, communities of color, and other communities that have been historically and systemically marginalized. This project involves (1) a needs assessment to collect, analyze, and share data about community members’ access to affordable and reliable digital connectivity and resources that enable digital access (e.g. skills, devices), as well as (2) co-design and evaluate possible strategies and recommendations to increase internet connectivity and access for all.
Travis County and the City of Austin are currently completing the first phase of this needs assessment, which includes analyzing public data, building a resource toolkit, and conducting surveys. The second phase of the needs assessment will include multiple community conversations to gain a deeper understanding of digital inequities in our region, co-interpret data and build strategic recommendations together. To prepare for the second phase, we hosted multiple community advisory workshops.
What did we learn through Advisory Workshops?
In February and March, Travis County and the City of Austin hosted three advisory workshops which included approximately 44 individuals. One workshop was hosted in-person at a local library branch and facilitated in English, and two more workshops were hosted virtually, one facilitated in English and one facilitated in Spanish. Participants were offered additional language interpretation upon request during the registration process. Workshops lasted approximately 2 hours and participants were compensated for their time with gift cards or virtual payments.
The workshops were designed to share the project scope and proposed design with community members for feedback and input, particularly the second phase project, which includes community conversations. Participants were asked additional questions to help give insights into the outreach strategy for events, questions and information gathered through events, and ways to be more inclusive in the design.
In addition to feedback about the project, in each session participants shared about challenges they experienced or observed related to digital access. The highlighted themes of challenges are:
- Cost and affordability of internet
- Power outages and weather
- Poor quality or reliability of internet, including mobile
- Poorly maintained internet infrastructure
- Lack of public internet access points
- Distrust and frustration with internet providers
- Distrust and frustration with government responsiveness
- Challenges with digital skills
- Risks to end-users in accessing the internet (e.g. hackers, spam, dangerous content)
In sharing their insights about the project, participants provided multiple recommendations or feedback summarized here:
- Add youth and rural communities in the existing list of prioritized populations.
- Involve multiple types of stakeholders to hear about the challenges and needs of community members, including: elected leaders (local, state, and national), FCC, community members and residents, internet providers, foundations/funders, and utility companies.
- In addition to seeking information through data collection, such as internet use and community needs, the next phases activities should include information sharing that helps individuals get digital resources and skills.
- Use multiple outlets to communicate about upcoming project engagement opportunities, including advertising on busses, working with local trusted organizations and groups, and ensuring that we use multiple languages.
- Work with trusted organizations and community groups to collaborate on key activities such as focus groups and data convenings.
- Especially for the data convenings, reduce jargon, make data approachable and shared in culturally responsive ways, use strategies that accommodate multiple learning styles, and organize engagement activities in ways that can include individuals who may have limited time availability (e.g. people working multiple jobs).
What are next steps?
Travis County and the City of Austin are currently completing the final weeks of the first phase of the project. In the next phase, we will organize focus groups and data convenings to deepen our understanding of the challenges in our communities related to internet and digital equity. We will coordinate multiple working groups with trusted community organizations to co-design and produce community conversations, including focus groups and data convenings. As we move forward, we will be incorporating the feedback from advisory workshops. We will document how we are being responsive to this feedback and share that transparently on this website and also incorporate that into the project final report.
If you’d like to share ideas and challenges you’ve faced with the internet, devices or skills now, please use the form below:
