Digital Inclusion Fund (Portland)

Digital Inclusion Fund (Portland) is sponsored by City of Portland, Digital Equity Strategic Initiatives team. The City of Portland's Digital Inclusion Fund focuses on building capacity in community-based organizations that provide Digital Navigator services.

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Portland is a Sanctuary City BPS’s Digital Equity team helps ensure all have the opportunity to thrive in the digital economy by focusing on just and equitable strategies to achieve digital access and adoption for all. Everyone deserves access to fast, reliable, and affordable internet, and to have the opportunity to learn how to effectively navigate the digital world.

Widespread broadband access and adoption can improve economic resilience, educational outcomes, the ability to age in place, and pathways for participating in democracy. Or conversely, persistent digital inequities can exacerbate other societal inequalities.

Nationwide and locally, Indigenous populations (including Alaskan Native, Native American, and Pacific Islander), Black/African American, and Hispanic/ Latino American households consistently have the lowest rates of broadband access and adoption. Additionally, people living with disabilities cut across race, age, and income classifications, and may need additional devices to be able to use broadband connections.

Addressing inequity does not just happen organically. It takes intentional, focused effort by all segments of the community and benchmarks of connectivity will continue to evolve with innovation. That’s why the City, in 2016, adopted its first Digital Equity Action Plan (DEAP).

The DEAP serves as a guide for city, county, library, community-based organizations, and the private sector to pursue a collective effort approach to addressing digital adoption barriers. The DEAP Mission is to bridge the digital divide for excluded members of our community ensuring affordable access, training, and tools.

The DEAP Vision is that all residents of Portland/Multnomah County will have barrier-free access to high-speed broadband internet at home and school, an affordable computing device and the training to use them effectively.

Under the framework of the DEAP, the Digital Equity Strategic Initiatives team’s work centers on three interconnected areas: Seek funding and invest in broadband infrastructure and digital inclusion efforts In 2022 the City furthered its commitment to pursuing digital equity with the creation of the Digital Inclusion (DI) Fund .

The DI Fund invests in building community capacity through multi-year community grants benefiting priority populations and small businesses. In 2023, following an extensive community engagement process, the City allocated $3. 5 in American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funding to invest in digital adoption strategies that help with COVID response and recovery.

The ARPA Digital Divide Response project invested in deploying free devices, building community-based organization digital navigator capacity, and offering free internet access through hotspots or a pilot WiFi network. In 2023 the City renewed its partnership with Open Signal .

Leverage data for community-led decision making and building community capacity Broadband Mapping project Coalition of Digital Equity (CODE) Public policy and advocacy We advocate for local, state, and federal policies to promote digital equity and support local digital inclusion strategies.

Throughout the development, adoption, and implementation of DEAP strategies, the Digital Equity Strategic Initiatives team relies heavily on elevating community voices and decision making.

Numerous community leaders, representing community-based organizations, non-profits, local governments, businesses, schools, libraries, etc. have held monthly meetings with city staff in an effort to build a network of forward-thinking people passionate about the importance of access for all to make people’s lives better. This network met in March 2020, to reflect on successes, challenges, gaps, and opportunities.

Feedback from the reflection is summarized as follows: Equity-based Public Policy Community leaders know the importance of equity- based policy and seek the authority to directly impact this area. Community leaders support local government in the role of champion for digital equity through listening and creating public policy that reflects community input. Policy should be a higher priority before other goals.

Community leaders view that lack of access to sustainable funding as a barrier to taking on new digital activities. Community organizations doing digital equity work need more access to micro grants that do NOT dictate how the funding should be spent. The City should hold an annual Reflection session to reassess goals.

This will at least aid in keeping up with the pace of technology industry change. Improve the communication system by leveraging technology for opportunities via asset mapping and developing a digital equity dashboard that tracks the impact on policy and investments. Seek out new governance models for the community coalition.

Create opportunities for community leadership and decision-making. Community-based organizations can be more powerful leveraging each other via the coalition. Some data fatigue is arising due to multiple, redundant surveys and research project highlighting problems that were previously identified.

Digital Equity Anti-Racism Initiative Elevating the voice of Digital Inclusion Network (DIN, now Coalition of Digital Equity (CODE) ) members to inform our current practices and the upcoming Digital Equity Action Plan 2. 0 Supporting Digital Inclusion Network community to take a stance as an anti-racist collective.

Providing tools to assist the Digital Inclusion Network (DIN, now Coalition of Digital Equity (CODE) ) to build or expand partnerships with Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian/Pacific Islander led community based organizations/businesses.

2016-2023 National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) Digital Inclusion Trailblazer 2018 Oregon Connections Telecommunications Conference Excellence in Telecommunications Partnerships for the creation of the Digital Inclusion Network 2023 National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) Visionary Digital Inclusion Trailblazer for the city’s commitment to deeply integrating digital inclusion throughout government Digital Equity Coordinator alonso.

melendez@portlandoregon. gov Senior Communications Strategist, Planning & Sustainability julian. hanlon-austin2@portlandoregon.

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