This week in “What’s New in Digital Equity” — our weekly look at government digital equity and broadband news — we have a number of interesting items, which you can jump to with the links below:
The Harris County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to establish the Harris County Broadband Task Force, which will be charged with overseeing broadband strategy, tracking progress, and coordinating public-private partnerships for the Texas local government.
The task force will be made up of individuals representing county offices, community organizations, academia, and the private sector, with members appointed by the Commissioners Court.
“The solution is not a one size fits all; there are unique needs in each precinct,” Sindhu Menon, CIO and executive director of Harris County Universal Services, said in a statement.
The Harris County Broadband Roadmap: A Platform for Shared Investment and Public Engagement will support the task force’s work by offering a strategy to meet digital literacy demands in the region and offering a flexible plan that accounts for local priorities.
The road map’s creation was led by US Ignite, a nonprofit focused on bringing technical expertise to communities and its partners. The creation process involved interviews with more than 30 county staff across more than 10 departments, data analysis and workshops.
“This is not a one-time strategy or static to-do list,” Domenick Lasorsa, US Ignite community innovation manager, said in a statement of the road map, arguing that it instead offers a flexible plan for the county to lead to improved connectivity for residents.
More than 171,000 households in the county currently lack a broadband connection.
In state news, Washington has tapped an interim director for its Washington State Broadband Office (WSBO) following the departure of former Director Aaron Wheeler. Wheeler stepped down from the position to take a role working with the Suquamish Tribe.
Joseph Williams, who previously served as the Department of Commerce’s Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness Information and Communications Technology sector lead, will oversee WSBO until a permanent director is appointed. Williams also served as a tech policy adviser to former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.
“I’m pleased to have Joseph leading the WSBO during this period of transition at both the state and federal level,” state Department of Commerce Director Joe Nguyễn said in a statement.
The department is working with Gov. Bob Ferguson to find WSBO’s next permanent director; more information is expected soon.
In other state news, the North Carolina Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Opportunity announced new leadership.
Maggie Woods will serve as the new director of the Office of Digital Opportunity, Christina Strickland will serve as chief deputy general counsel, and Dana Lee will serve as deputy general counsel.
Woods will be responsible for overseeing $50 million in economic development efforts focused on digital skills and technology for job readiness. She previously served as the deputy director for the office.
Strickland previously served as legal counsel for the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Information Technology, and as general counsel for the North Carolina Retirement Systems within the N.C. Department of State Treasurer’s Office.
Lee previously served as assistant general counsel at the N.C. Office of the State Auditor and as assistant attorney general at the N.C. Department of Justice, serving N.C. Medicaid.
At the local level, community leaders are investing in digital skills training and device access for residents, to support their adoption. These efforts are increasingly important in the wake of the Digital Equity Act’s termination, which significantly impacted digital adoption work.
In Brownsville, Texas, officials are offering a chance for students to obtain laptops through a giveaway process led by the city’s IT department.
The AARP is committing $4.2 million to support communities, which includes digital connection. The funding will support installation of an Internet hot spot station in Rossville, Ga., and other initiatives.
The State Library of North Carolina has issued awards to 41 recipients, totaling $2,539,474 in grant funds. The money will support new or expanded library programs and services — digital literacy and technology programming among them.
In federal news, the FCC has eliminated a requirement around providing broadband data for the National Broadband Map. Previously, FCC rules required providers to certify the data in their filings by a corporate officer and a certified professional engineer; now, the data can be certified by a qualified engineer with a minimum amount of experience.
“Many providers have reported they do not employ certified professional engineers (or PEs) on staff, and when they have tried to hire a PE for the sole purpose of certifying [Broadband Data Collection] BDC filings, they’ve been met with a shortage of PEs in the marketplace,” the newest commissioner, Olivia Trusty, said in a statement. “This item has my support.”
This action is part of the FCC’s “Delete, Delete, Delete” initiative, aiming to reduce what it deems to be unnecessary regulatory burdens.
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