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Digital Inclusion Trailblazers is a public inventory of local government initiatives promoting digital literacy and broadband access for underserved residents. NDIA first launched this effort in 2016 as an advocacy tool for local, state and national digital inclusion leadership, and as a handy database of examples for communities interested in taking similar steps themselves. The list also serves as an honor roll of local government initiatives that promote digital literacy and broadband access for underserved residents. With support from Google Fiber and help from a Working Group of our affiliates, NDIA identifies local governments that are Digital Inclusion Trailblazers using six indicators, listed below, based on documentation submitted by the candidates. Trailblazers are models for other local governments to pursue digital inclusion efforts in their own communities.

Trailblazer Indicators:

  1. Your local government has, or directly funds, at least one full-time staff dedicated to digital  inclusion initiatives, policies and/or programs.
  2. Your local government has a digital inclusion plan or is in the process of developing a plan.
  3. Representatives of your local government participate in an open-access digital inclusion coalition.
  4. Your local government has conducted or plans to conduct and publish survey research on Internet access and use by your residents.
  5. Your local government directly funds community digital inclusion programming.
  6. Your local government is taking steps to increase affordability of home broadband service.

We invite any other local government that fits one or more of these indicators to apply to be a 2021 Digital Inclusion Trailblazer. The application form provides a check-list and documentation requirement for each indicator.

Please click on the “+” sign on the table below to reveal individual Trailblazer resources.

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Local Government NameContactContact EmailHas StaffStaff | Document 1Staff | Document 2Staff | Document 3Staff | Document 4Staff | Document 5Has PlanPlan | Document 1Plan | Document 2Plan | Document 3Plan | Document 4Plan | Document 5CoalitionCoalition | Document 1Coalition | Document 2Coalition | Document 3Coalition | Document 4Coalition | Document 5Survey ResearchSurvey Research | Document 1Survey Research | Document 2Survey Research | Document 3Survey Research | Document 4Survey Research | Document 5Has FundingFunding | Document 1Funding | Document 2Funding | Document 3Funding | Document 4Funding | Document 5AffordabilityAffordability | Document 1Affordability | Document 2Affordability | Document 3Affordability | Document 4Affordability | Document 5
City and County of San Francisco✔Contact InformationPerformance PlanBudget Recommendations✔Strategic Plan✔Strategic Plan
City of AustinJohn Speirs, Program Manager[email protected]✔Proposed BudgetDigital Inclusion Team✔Digital Inclusion Strategy✔Digital Empowerment Community of Austin✔Austin Digital Assessment✔GTOPS
City of Boston✔Digital Equity Strategy✔Broadband Map✔Digital Equity Fund
City of Chattanooga and Hamilton CountyJermaine Freeman, Deputy Administrator of Economic Development[email protected]✔Agency FundingChattanooga Forward Working ReportFunding LetterJob Descriptions✔Working Report✔Membership Roster✔Organizational Survey Description30 day SurveyPre-survey1 Year SurveyPost-survey✔Agency FundingFunding LetterOutcomes ReportThe Enterprise Center Outcome Information✔EdConnectEdConnect Fact SheetWhat is EdConmect?Qué es EdConnect
City of Long BeachRebecca Kauma, Economic and Digital Inclusion Program Manager[email protected]✔Contact InformationJob Description✔Stakeholder CommitteeRoadmap✔Roles and ResponsibilitiesCommittee ListCommittee NotesStakeholder Committee✔Analysis & Recommendations✔Fund TransferCARES Act Digital Inclusion Free Internet Services and Computing Devices Program OverviewFree Internet Services and Computing Devices Program Flyer-English
City of PortlandRebecca Gibbons, Broadband & Digital Equity Program Manager[email protected]✔Office for Community TechnologyAdopted BudgetContact Information✔Digital Equity Action Plan✔Coalition MembershipCoalition LeadershipMeeting Agendas✔Needs and Opportunities ReportPortland Broadband AdoptionStrategic Plan✔Grant AgreementGrant Description
City of San AntonioCandelaria Mendoza, Smart City Coordinator[email protected]✔Digital Divide SurveySurvey Information✔San Antonio Indicator 5 Resources
City of SeattleDavid Keyes, Digital Equity Program Manager[email protected]✔Staff Contacts 2021ITD Adopted Budget 2021 SeattleIT DigEquity workplan 2021✔Internet-for-All-Seattle-Report-FINAL✔Digital Equity Learning Network of Seattle and King County✔Access and Adoption StudyInternet for All Update Report✔TMF GuidelinesFunding Announcement✔Internet for All Legislation 
District of Columbia✔Community Technology Plan BFCommunityTechnology Plan BRDigital Divide Report✔Community Technology Plan BFCommunityTechnology Plan BR
Louisville Metro GovernmentRicky Santiago, Digital Inclusion Manager[email protected]✔Digital Inclusion PlanExecutive BudgetContact Sheet✔Digital Inclusion PlanCoalition organizations✔Digital Inclusion Fund
Provo CityJoshua Ihrig, Information Systems Div. Director[email protected]✔Staffing OverviewVISTA Assignment Description 1VISTA Assignment Description 2MOU✔Administrative Directive✔Advisory Group membershipMinutes 1Minutes 2Minutes 3Minutes 4✔AFF ReportSurvey Plan MEMODevice Data Overview✔Digital Inclusion EffortsProgramming Summary
Salt Lake CityNole Walkingshaw, Deputy Director, Public Services[email protected]✔Digital Inclusion Staffing✔Digital Equity Full TransmittalSurvey Maps✔Affordability in SLC
City of DetroitJoshua Edmonds, Director of Digital Inclusion[email protected]✔Policy Fellow✔Timeline✔TimelineDigital Divide Atlas✔Tech for Teens
New York City✔Internet Master Plan✔Internet Master Plan✔Internet Master Plan✔Internet Master Plan
City of Kansas CityRick Usher[email protected]✔Digital Equity Strategic Plan✔Digital Equity Strategic Plan - CoalitionCoalition for Digital Inclusion playlist✔Internet at Home
Baltimore CityJason Hardebeck[email protected]✔Indicator 1 Resources✔Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition
City of BloomingtonRick Dietz[email protected]✔Digital Equity Strategic Plan✔Digital Equity Survey Data✔Digital Equity Grants

With special thanks to the to the NDIA Trailblazer Working Group:

Andrew Broderick, of SF Tech Council; Emy Tseng, of NTIA; Rebecca Kauma, of the City of Long Beach, and; Rick Usher, of the City of Kansas City.