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 digital inclusion field, and local governments’ roles in it, have grown and changed a great deal over the past three years. To reflect those changes, this is the new, annual Digital Inclusion Trailblazers designation process.Â
With support from Google Fiber and help from a Working Group of our affiliates, there are now six indicators for a Digital Inclusion Trailblazer:
- The local government has, or directly funds, at least one full-time staff dedicated to digital inclusion initiatives, policies and/or programs.
- The local government has a digital inclusion plan or is in the process of developing a plan.
- Representatives of the local government participate in a digital inclusion coalition.
- The local government has conducted or plans to conduct and publish survey research on Internet access and use by your residents.
- The local government directly funds community digital inclusion programming.
- The local government is taking steps to increase affordability of home broadband service.
We invite any local government that fits one or more of these indicators to apply to be a 2020 Digital Inclusion Trailblazer. The application form provides a check list and documentation requirement for each indicator. The deadline for applications is midnight Friday, November 15, 2019.
2020 Digital Inclusion Trailblazers will be announced in January, 2020.
Sponsored By
Thank you to the NDIA Trailblazer Working Group:
Andrew Doan from NDIA, Bobby Coulter from Fresno Housing Authority, Cat Blake from Next Century Cities, Christopher Mitchell from Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Deb Socia from Next Century Cities, Delano Squires from OCTO, Delia Burke from City of Seattle, Devren Washington from Media Mobilizing Project, Edward Blayney from City of Louisville, Geoff Milliner from The Enterprise Center, Michelle Gibeault from University of Arkansas, Jennifer Terry from City of New Orleans, Jess George from Google Fiber, Munirih Jester from City of San Antonio, Amy Huffman from North Carolina Department of Information Technology, Angelina Panettieri from National League of Cities, Parisa Fatehi from Google Fiber, Rebecca Gibbons from City of Portland, Rebecca Kauma from City of Long Beach, Roberto Gallardo from Purdue University